Young Razorback
by typhoonboom08
Summary: Four to six months with a harness on is a long time and alterations to the mind are inevitable. Now free, Ben is lost and confused, enjoying the freedom of an individual mind, but still partially stuck in and longing for the living patterns of a hive mind. The result is alienation from both sides as he struggles to find himself and his place in the 2nd. Eventual Ben/Jimmy.
1. Chapter 1

**AN:** Hi readers. I wasn't gonna put this up for a while as it's the only chapter I've got for this story at the moment and the plans for this aren't as concrete as they usually are when I start posting, but I wanted to test the waters. I've got multiple plans and a basic idea of where to take it, so if it's approved of on here, it shouldn't take too long to develop and tie them all together.

The stories based off the fact that Ben is the only one harnessed for a long period that was mentally normal and that just didn't seem right. going from a hive mind like he'd had with the harness to an individual one would be terrifying and extremely difficult to handle at all and would take a great deal of time to fix. I wanted to put some focus on that transition.

**Disclaimer:** Not sure why we bother with this so much because obviously if it's on fanfiction, I don't own it, but yeah, only the plot is mine. If I owned Falling Skies, Jimmy and Rick would be alive and well, so clearly I don't.

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Quiet. Empty. That was the first thing Ben noticed as he stirred. They weren't there. His guardian, his brothers and sister. He could always hear them, always felt them in his mind for as long as he could remember. But now it was like his mind held nothing but empty space. Nothing but a distant noise at the back of his head.

_Where are you?_ He cried out mentally, confusion filling his heavy, drowsy mind. _Where have you gone? Why did you leave me?_ He tried as hard as he could to reach them, focusing as much as his disoriented mind could on the feeble, static filled sound that had once been his connection to the others only for his panic and confusion to grow as he got no response whatsoever. Did he do something wrong? He didn't think so, he'd done everything his guardian had asked of him. So why did they abandon him?

Hang on...did they? Or was he the one that left? He wasn't where he remembered falling asleep. He'd gone to sleep on the hard floor, gathered snugly with his group, but the surface below him now was soft, especially under his head. Something warm was draped over the top of his legs, but his upper body was completely exposed to the cool air and his back...felt far too exposed! The familiar weight of the harness was gone! Why? Where did it go, who would have...

The boy! And that guy with the girl beside him. Their faces swam around his mind as the fogginess of sleep started to fade. He remembered being confused as another boy joined his group. A familiar boy, though he wasn't so sure where he knew him from, besides when he'd brought Karen to his masters. He didn't let it worry him though, his guardian seemed fine with it. But something had stirred him as they were falling asleep and when he'd opened his eyes, it was to find the boy..._Hal._ He thought. _His name is Hal_...holding up a knife to kill his guardian. The...Hal had noticed he was awake and stopped in shock, giving Ben plenty of time to warn the others. He remembered now, grabbing...Hal with the others, following his master's wish and trying to protect him only for two more people to come in and help kill his guardian.

He remembered the pain now. The anguish his guardian had felt as he died and the sudden, almost painful disconnection from him. At that moment he was lost, hurting, didn't know what to do. How could he know what to do now that his master wasn't around to tell him?

"Ben? Ben? You're gonna be ok. I got you." That other guy, another familiar guy, grabbed him just a moment later, forcing their eyes to meet as Ben stared forlornly down at his master. Looking up, Ben had been confused at the time as to why he was talking to him, but he didn't think anymore of it as the man dragged him to his feet and guided him towards the window. He didn't want to go, he wanted to stay with his master, but he didn't know how to stop this man from taking him. His master wasn't alive to tell him what to do and he didn't know how to do anything on his own. So he had no choice but let this man..._Dad_...be his knew master and take him away. It wasn't what he wanted, he wasn't a Skitter, but he was telling him what to do, giving him direction. He guessed that was the best that he was going to get. He remembered the man holding him close before carrying him out of range of the Mech, four other people including...Hal carrying his brothers and sister, but after that his eyes grew heavy and he'd passed out.

They'd captured him! They'd taken him away and taken his harness, his connection! Why would they do that? Without it, he had no idea what to do. How was he supposed to be guided, how was he supposed to feel the others' presences and feelings, how was he supposed to do anything? He didn't even know how mo...hang on, he was moving! He was shaking his head all on his own.

"Dad." A loud whisper called from close by, scaring Ben. He wasn't alone. He couldn't feel anyone, but there were people around him, moving, fiddling. For a moment, he was terrified, his heart pounding in his chest. What would they do to him next? Would they hurt him now that he couldn't call for help?

However, as the tapping of quick feet met his ears, he realised that he recognised the voice. It was Hal's. His...brother's! His genetic, big brother! He remembered Hal. They'd never gotten along for one day of their lives together, but he loved Hal. Hal would fight and argue with him all the time, but he'd never hurt Ben.

Wanting to see Hal, he groggily opened his eyes just as the footsteps stopped right in front of him and surprised himself as he raised his head curiously, without anyone directing him to do it. Looking up, he caught sight of Hal next to him, but it was another, much older face that he stared up at. The guy who'd taken over guiding him like his master did. He was...

"Dad?" The word slipped off his tongue before he'd even thought to move his lips. It just popped out as soon as his recognition kicked in.

It seemed to be the right thing to do though. As soon as he said it his guar... his Dad's face turned from slightly worried to joyful. Huge smiles had grown of both his and Hal's faces. Why? What had he done to get that reaction? Was it just because he was here and awake or did he do something special? Confused, he just rested his head on the pillow and contemplated everything as his dad moved around him and sat down with another small boy standing beside him, also beaming at him. Matt. That was his name. His little brother. The one who always came to him and begged him to help with homework.

His family. His first family. They were all there with him...no, one was missing. A female. M-m...Mom. That was it, Mom, Dad's mate. He had two masters before being harnessed. A painful sensation went through his heart as he remembered her face, smiling at him affectionately. Why wasn't she here?

"Are you ok Ben?" Matt asked, pouting worriedly as he moved in front of Ben's face. "You don't look to happy."

Ben just stared at him confusedly for a moment, unsure why he'd asked, before he remembered that he wasn't connected to Matt's mind. He'd never been connected to any of them. There was no way for Matt or the others to feel what he was feeling. The realisation unnerved Ben a little to be honest, he was used to feeling others' emotions and having them feel his, making each other feel better.

But his first family, this family, did it differently, he remembered a few seconds later. They could tell when something was wrong through talking and observing his body. It wasn't as simple or effective, but it had always helped. And the physical comfort he remembered always felt nice. Focusing on Matt again, who'd only seemed to grow more worried during his bout of silence, he decided to try talking on his own again. It was still a foreign thing to do for him, but he'd done it before meeting his guardian all the time, right? He could get this. He could.

"I-I...I'm lost." He stuttered. Man this was a strange thing! It felt so weird and scary to him, but at the same time, he felt free. He wasn't sure if he wanted to test all of this new individuality or hide back in the safety of the minds of his group. But since the latter wasn't an option at the moment... "I'm confused. I...memories keep appearing, and I'm separated, I don't feel my si...siblings and no one is guiding my actions and I...I..." His panic grew as he talked, causing his words to pick up speed. He was hyperventilating by the time he stopped talking, not sure what to say or if he'd said too much. Then there was the sense of isolation rearing its ugly head again. He needed them! He needed to feel the others, he needed that familiar reassurance right now!

"Easy Ben." His dad muttered soothingly, resting a hand on his head and ruffling his hair. "Just relax. Everything will be ok." The reaction was immediate. The soothing sound meeting his ears, the familiar, relaxing sensation of having his head rubbed and the _command_. That's what he needed. Affection and being told what to do. That was familiar, no matter what memories he looked at. Following commands from his guardian was what he did every day without hesitation and that made it easy to follow a command like this even without the emotional support of his siblings. His body immediately relaxed and he rested his head on his pillow. Taking a few deep breaths, he slowed his heart rate back to normal and let his mind go blank, almost sighing at the pleasant feeling as his dad continued to play with his hair.

"Everything will be clearer to you in the morning. I'm sure of it." His dad said confidently, smiling warmly and chuckling as Ben confused himself as he let out a large yawn. "You're tired. Go to sleep son. You'll feel better in the morning."

Again, he responded immediately. Closing his eyes, Ben moved his arms into a more comfortable position and closed his eyes. A small smile grew on his face as he was quickly consumed by darkness. No confusion followed him, just a sense of bliss.

His dad said that everything would be understood in the morning. So it would.


	2. Chapter 2

**AN:** Bigger chapter this time. Woohoo! Anyway, thanks for the reviews. Nice to know people want you to continue. One last thing before I shut up, for those waiting for Jimmy's appearance, that begins next chapter. I'm still loosely following the S1 story line and Jimmy's reaction to Ben in Sanctuary is needed for my plans. Well, I've held you up long enough, hope you enjoy

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**Chapter 2**

"Hey, um..."

"Hi, bye." Biting his lip, Ben let his eyes drop miserably to the floor as his third connected brother brushed right past him, not even sparing him a glance. He hadn't seen any of them since they'd all been released from the clinic a few days ago and it had left him sad and lonely. They'd never been very far apart and even when he couldn't feel them anymore, he'd still gained some comfort from having them all in close proximity to him. Now however, just finding one of them was a challenge and none of them seemed to want anything to do with him. Or each other, but he'd seen them at least exchanging a few pleasantries between them when they did run into each other, so why did he get nothing but attitude and an ignored existence?

_There's still my sister. Maybe she'll be better._ Taking a deep breath, he rubbed at his eyes and took off for the cafeteria. It was getting on lunch time, which meant food would be ready. Meal time was one thing Ben was always keen for and from what he'd seen, his sib...group shared that particular desire. None of them could remember eating much at all since they were harnessed and since they were removed, all five of them were really hungry all the time. That was a bit of a problem considering the regiment only had so much food, but Tom always gave half of his to a grateful Ben at breakfast and dinner.

_I wonder how the others dealt with their hunger?_ He mused as he turned a corner and brought the cafeteria doors into sight. However, his eyes lit up and the thought was forgotten as he noticed a very familiar, short girl with her hair tied up in her usual messy bun.

"Hey." He called, not noticing her flinch as he jogged up to her and placed a hand on her shoulder. "I haven't seen you in over a day sis-"

"_Don't_ call me that!" She hissed harshly with a glare, making him jump as she shrugged his hand off.

"Sorry, but that's what I've always called you." He muttered unsurely. The poor boy looked like a kicked puppy and felt like one too. "We never used human names, so I never learnt yours."

"And you're not learning it now either!" She snapped harshly, shattering any hope Ben had. "It's hard enough getting people to accept me around here without the rest of you hanging around and making them more suspicious, especially you. So leave me alone. I want to get back a semi-normal life." With that, she gave him one last piercing glare and stomped off through the doors, leaving a thoroughly miserable Ben behind.

...

The lunch rush was long over, but Ben had yet to even touch his food. He'd grabbed all the food the cooks would let him at the same time everyone else did, but rather than eat it, he'd found himself an empty table and just stared down at his bowel of rice forlornly. His appetite was completely gone.

_What's so bad about me?_ The thought had been running through his mind for over an hour and he just couldn't find an answer for it. He'd done nothing to anyone and said little to nothing, usually just offering shy smiles as he walked down the hallways, yet he was always on the receiving end of scowls, glares and a lot of cruel words he wasn't supposed to hear. 'Those Razorbacks will get us all killed' was probably the most frequent line to come his way, but there were many, more painful comments and suggestions made in 'private' conversations. It hurt that he didn't even have to do anything to be despised by more than half the regiment.

His family seemed to be ok with him. When he did wake up, Tom had grown ecstatic when Ben confirmed that his memories had returned, though Ben hid the fact that they didn't seem to fit quite right with his head. Matt forever asked him questions and snuck into his cot at night, something that Ben was secretly very happy about. He was used to sleeping pressed up to his siblings so Matt snuggling into his chest made sleep a whole lot easier and pleasant. Hal was...Hal, but they didn't fight anymore and he got an occasional Joke out of him, so it was an improvement from what he remembered. So why was everyone else so against him? Even his siblings...group...whatever! Why were they so against someone going through the same thing they were? Shouldn't they being dealing with it together, like they always had? Why was now so different? _What made ME so different?_

"Hey Ben, do you mind if I sit down?" Shaking his head, Ben had to go over the question just to make sure he heard it right. The voice had been feminine, meaning it wasn't Tom or his brothers, but it was light, kind, not a single sign of dislike. Looking up, he stared amazedly at a smiling Hispanic girl. Lourdes was her name, she'd checked over his spikes before he'd left the clinic. He remembered that she was nice and gentle, apologising profusely when he watch got caught on and tugged the top spike in his neck a little too hard.

"Yeah, of course. If you want to."Ben nodded quickly with a nervous smile, afraid that she'd come to her senses and walk away. The fear proved unnecessary however, as her smile only grew brighter as she sat in front of him, setting a tray down before her.

"And why would I want to eat alone when I can share a meal with pleasant company?" She asked, giving him another grin before bringing her hands together in a way Ben remembered religious Christians doing when they wanted to pray and closing her eyes. "Dear Lord, may we be ever thankful for the bounty you have offered us and the safety you have provided here. We thank you for allowing us to bring our missing children home and for the hope of bringing them all back to our arms that you have blessed us with. Amen."

"You...um." Flustered, Ben wasn't sure what to say. He wanted to ask so many questions lately, but he didn't know if he was allowed or how to word them. He remembered his dad telling him that you sometimes had to be careful how you word queries, but with the Skitters, all confusion or curiosity was sated without questions being asked. Plus, Tom never said he could ask questions. Was it ok?

"Is there something you want to know?" Lourdes asked as she grabbed her spoon, earning a shy nod from Ben. "Then feel free to ask." Taking that as close enough as an ok from Tom, Ben gave his question one more examination before he spoke, hoping that he didn't offend her.

"You still have faith in God?" His tone was simply curious, he decided, quite happy with how it came out. He almost sighed in relief as he watched Lourdes' face and was pleased that she had taken it how he'd intended it, without any sign of anger. In fact, if he wasn't mistaken, she looked a little understanding.

"Yes, I do. I believe that there is still a lot we can be thankful for, that God still watches over us. You're family got you back after all. I know they're very thankful for that." She said warmly before digging into her food. Strange, suddenly he didn't feel as bad. Actually, he felt pretty good. Lourdes didn't only seem ok with him and ask to sit with him, she honestly believed that his coming here was a good thing. Something to be thankful for. It felt...really nice to have someone outside his genetic line feel that way about him.

He blushed a moment later as his grumbling belly made itself known, to the point where Lourdes stopped eating to chuckle. Apparently his appetite was back.

"Looks like your stomach's demanding attention again." She commented lightly, pointing to his tray.

"Yeah, Can't believe how hungry I am lately." He grinned embarrassedly, grabbing his own utensils and shovelling rice down his throat. The food had log turned cold and didn't taste too good, but with his hunger back with a vengeance he didn't care in the slightest.

"Which is why I'm confused by you eating lunch so late." Lourdes admitted between mouthfuls. "And why you were staring at your food so sadly. Is everything ok?" Concern was etched all over her face, her eyes never leaving him as she consumed another mouthful.

Sighing, Ben put his bowel down, his fingers tapping randomly on his spoon as his previous thoughts crashed over him again. He didn't really want to think about it again, but he knew it was going to show up again sooner or later and he needed answers. Besides, what harm could come from telling Lourdes?

"Well...is there something different between me and my sib...group?" He asked, catching himself at the last second. It was something he did a lot. The kids he'd shared a master with had been siblings the whole time they were together, but that wasn't how it worked here. here, they were just a group put together and his siblings were genetic, born from his Mom and Dad, like him. It was still beyond confusing though, because for all the memories and knowledge he had on what made you siblings, the other kids did still feel just as much like his brothers and sister as Hal and Matt did. "I tried talking to all of them today, but...they were hostile to me." He finished sadly, his eyes beginning to sting as each encounter crossed his mind. "And so many people here want me to go away that I..."

"Don't listen to them." Lourdes responded firmly, placing her hand comfortingly over his and encouraging him to look her in the eyes. "They're just scared of the unknown and aren't thinking straight. Plenty of us are very happy that we can save harnessed kids."

"Save?" Ben blinked, a little thrown off by that one. "Why do you use save? We aren't in danger in the Skitters' care. They actually take really good care of us, love us. Like...family."

Clearly he had said something wrong. The look on Lourdes' face was a little too stunned, too worried. As her eyes shifted from one side of the room to the next, Ben bit his lip and placed his hands firmly on the table, scared of what she intended to do and ready to run. He was scared as hell and completely lost for what he'd done wrong. Maybe he shouldn't be asking questions.

"Ben, be careful with what you say in public areas like this." She whispered, leaning over the table. Ok, that was a very different reaction to what he was expecting. "The reason your group is avoiding each other is because the people who are mean to you are people who believe that you're sleeper agents, or beacons for the Skitters. They're trying to prove that they're normal and that their time with the Skitters was horrible. Talking like you're fine with them will only cause the suspicions and accusations to increase and they may hurt you, especially since your spikes aren't going anywhere like the others' did."

A series of emotions hit hard as he took in what she said. She was only worrying about his safety and acceptance, that made him feel more relieved and appreciative than he could say, but the rest of it was unbelievable. His siblings thought their time connected was horrible? Why? It felt great, he missed the feeling of his mind touching everyone else's badly. It was one of the sensations that he wished he still had. And a sleeper agent? He didn't want to hurt anyone! Yeah, he had no problem with the Skitters, but he didn't want the Skitters coming here and killing these people either. To be honest, he was neutral in this war, could sit comfortably with both sides. In his mind, they were just two different kinds of people, they loved, they cared, they fought. But wait, his siblings' spikes had gone too?

Frowning, he reached back and felt the spikes on the back of his neck. His were still the same. He could feel anything that touched them like before and they were just as big and firm. Then again, the others couldn't even have his weakened connection either, which he probably shouldn't talk about. Why was he so different?

"Sorry." He muttered, deciding to deal with it all later as Lourdes looked worriedly into his eyes. "I guess I just..."

"Caught between two worlds. I know." She said softly, letting out a soft breath and smiling softly again. "I understand. And know that you can talk to me about it anytime you want, but it's just best that it's done in private until the heat of all this dies down."

"Ok. Thank you?" He added hesitantly, not quite sure that it was required in this situation, as he picked up his food again. Lourdes just smiled and nodded in response as the two got back to eating.

It seemed that an unspoken rule had been put into play as they went on to ignore all Skitter related topics as they continued their conversation. Lourdes told Ben all about her work with Dr Glass and how happy she was to be able to help and learn more, something that Ben found very intriguing. Only having been free again for a few days, Ben's topics were mostly based around the 'recovery' area, his face bright and joyful as he told her about rediscovering and experimenting with his body. Though when it seemed to Lourdes like he was getting close to mentioning the harness, he always changed topics and talked about the books he'd been reading.

"I was lost on what I was supposed to do yesterday." He admitted hesitantly, not sure if it was acceptable around here. "I waited M-Dad to tell me to do something, but he just said have a good day. So I stopped him before he left the room and asked him what I should be doing and he told me to find the library and read. There's a lot of books in there to get through."

"Wait, you didn't try to read _every_ book in there did you?" Lourdes asked, frowning in disbelief.

"Yeah, of course." Ben's responded with innocent eyes, staring at her as if he couldn't see the problem. "Well, as many as I could in one day. M-Dad told me to, so I did."

"I'm pretty sure it was just a suggestion made on what you always like doing before, not an order." Lourdes stated, frowning thoughtfully at that little detail before another one popped up. "And why do always say _M-_Dad?"

"Oh um." Stuttering, Ben dropped his gaze to his now empty tray. Lourdes couldn't tell if he was unsure or embarrassed. Maybe somewhere in between? "I just...I'm used to thinking master. My guardian was never referred to as mother or father."

"Wait a minute." Something just fell into place as her mind ran through it. Something that didn't sound right. "You consider your father your master?"

"Yeah." Ben nodded, thoroughly confused by the sheer disbelief in her voice. "It's one thing everything in my head agrees on. I was supposed to do everything my mom or dad told me to and I was supposed to do everything my guardian told me to. Different names, but both my dad and my Skitter have been my masters."

"You're still confused." Lourdes sighed, rubbing her head as she gave him a sympathetic look. "A parent and a master are two different things, though they are similar so I can understand your confusion. But for example, when Tom says you can go read, it's a suggestion, not a demand. You can do something else if you want. A master is meant to control you while a parent is only supposed to guide you into being a mature, competent, independent person. Not every decision has to be followed to the letter."

"So if he says he wants me to read, I don't have to read all day?" Ben asked, frowning hard as Lourdes nodded. It sounded right, but then another part of him rebelled against it, saying that if he was told to read then he had to read until he was told to stop. It was becoming a constant battle in his head and he was tempted to pull his hair out at the confusion and irritation of it all. "Aww, this is too confusing."

"Easy now." Lourdes said soothingly, getting up from her seat and taking the one right next to him. wrapping an arm around his shoulders, she pulled his head onto her shoulder and moved her other arm around him into a hug, careful not to jostle his spikes. "I don't expect you to get it all right now. You don't have to. You're doing fine Ben, you'll get the rest of it. Just give it time. And remember, you can always talk to me or Dr Glass or Tom. You just have to tell us what you're feeling, ask us questions if something's confusing. I promise everything will make sense to you soon."

The internal battle continued on as she talked, but Ben could still feel the effect she'd hoped to cause. Even if it was a problem now, he'd get over it, figure everything out. Her words reassured him. Then, she did the very thing he needed most. He sighed in complete bliss as her hand moved up his back and ruffled his hair. The motion never failed to sooth him and left him sinking comfortably and happily into her shoulder with a soft, pleased moan, eliciting giggles from Lourdes.

_She's like my siblings were_. He decided, enjoying the position. She'd been nothing but kind, concerned and reassuring toward him. And she had a gift for calming him and making him happy that only Matt had managed to pull off since his harness was removed. He wanted her around. He wanted to learn from her, hang out with her, be happy and make her happy, the way he did with his group.

_And who says I can't?_ He realised, smiling slightly at the thought. His old group, the people he'd known and cared for as his siblings had disowned each other, but he'd already become part of a new circle, what remained of his original circle. He still had siblings and even if the official title was missing, who said that Lourdes couldn't be one too? She cared a lot about him and his brothers and they cared about her. So he decided right there. Lourdes was part of his group. His siblings.

"Thank you. Sis."

If Lourdes was shocked by the title, she didn't show it. She just smiled and rubbed her head against his.

"You're welcome, little brother."


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Leaning against the wall, Jimmy couldn't help staring longingly as a group of soldiers rushed by, his eyes focusing more on the metal in their hands or strapped around their backs then the actual men. It had been a good few weeks since his gun was taken from him and it still hurt. He'd had it for months, worked hard to earn it and one act of stupidity had it taken away. Not that he didn't understand why, he messed up big time. To try and save a dog, he exposed himself and endangered his whole team. He was a threat to his own side.

_But I did learn from it._ He thought with a sigh, pushing himself off the wall and wandering off aimlessly. _And I'm not the only one to make stupid mistakes. They all got second chances so don't I?_

All he wanted to do was fight. Since he was taken off Tom's team, he was completely lost. At this point, he didn't anything but how to be a fighter and felt completely useless. He was a crappy cook, the kind that burned water, he downright refused to do sanitation duty and he didn't have any special talents like medical training or engineering to help out with. He was _thirteen_, what could he possibly be any good at? He couldn't even be a normal civilian anymore, he'd been in the fight too long. And there was the reason why he joined it in the first place.

To avoid the time his brain needed to linger on the family he lost. To avenge them the best he could.

"If a Mech comes through there, the sentries won't even be able to do enough to stay alive and a Skitter would probably slip right through."

"Agreed, but we don't have many options. We lost another four fighters in that last, failed raid. To keep a sufficient lookout, we'd have to pull in civilians."

His heart skipped a beat as Professor Mason and Captain Weaver's voices met his ears. With a hopeful gleam appearing in his eyes, he moved himself as casually as he could to the wall next to the door of Weaver's command room.

Peeking inside, he frowned curiously as Weaver tapped the table in seemingly random places as he declared sentry points. However, it deepened as he noticed another man in the room. He wasn't part of the Second Mass. He remembered seeing him now and again back in Boston before they all separated into regiments, but he knew for a fact that this man didn't join theirs.

_Well, only one way to find out._ Jimmy grinned. Scanning the hallway again, happy that no one was really paying him any attention, he made himself comfortable and listened in. eavesdropping was his specialty.

The guy's name was Clayton. The Seventh Mass was destroyed. Skitter Patrols were on the way. Ok, maybe listening in wasn't the best idea. As much as he'd been hoping for a reason to be allowed back on the front lines, the obliteration of an entire regiment was way too much. If the Skitters had already blown one to hell, what would stop them from doing it again?

Not wanting to here anymore, Jimmy pushed himself off the wall and took off again. only this time he had a destination to reach. If the Skitters were about to swarm the place, he was going to have his guns back. Even if Captain Weaver didn't let him back into rotation he was taking his gun.

_I won't be just another victim._ He thought as he walked determinedly straight into the makeshift armoury. It took only a second to find his favoured automatic, still right where he left it. He was more than grateful that Weaver had told the other fighters to leave it where it was. He wasn't sure why exactly, but he was more than grateful of the man for that. it made him feel appreciated, like it was proof of the chance Weaver had promised he'd get.

"Looks like that time's now." He muttered as he fingered the barrel, smiling at the familiar, cold, round feeling within his fingers before pulling it off the wall. Picking up a shot gun, he sat it in the holster on his combat belt, something Weaver had let him keep, and strapped the rifle over his shoulders, sighing contentedly at the familiar weight's return. grabbing and filling up two mags, he loaded one into his gun and pocketed the other before leaving, ignoring the raised eyebrow Anthony gave him as he passed by. He was as ready as he was going to get, now he just had to find a way to prove himself.

"I'm a fighter and I'm gonna prove it." He stated firmly, walking with a purpose back the way he came. He had a Captain to convince and if that didn't work, he'd stand guard anyway. One way or another, he was going to prove himself. To everyone.

...

Knock knock!

Dr Glass' wild jolt had Ben biting his lip guiltily as he lowered his fist from the door. He knew that she'd likely be a little jumpy right now, but it hadn't crossed his mind just how little it would take to startle her. After what had happened, the last thing he wanted to do was cause her more stress.

"Sorry. Didn't mean to startle you." He mumbled softly, making as little noise as possible as Ann took a few calming breaths.

"Oh...it's fine Ben." Ann smiled between breaths, leaning down on a bench casually as if nothing was wrong. Though it was pointless as far as Ben was concerned. Even from across the room, he could clearly hear her thumping heart as clearly as he would hear a small drum being played right beside him. "What brings you here today? You're not having any problems are you?" Her face grew a little more concerned as her body relaxed. He guessed that was her usual response to everyone, at least kids. After all, how many teenagers walk willingly into a clinic to say hi, even if they had noticed that their dad wanted to make the doctor his mate?

"No, I'm fine." Shaking his head, he offered her a thankful grin, something he gave everyone that showed him concern. "I just...wanted to make sure you were ok." He added, turning a little hesitant. "I heard about the guy and the gun. I'm sorry."

"What do you have to be sorry about?" Ann asked, frowning slightly as she approached him. "You had nothing to do with it."

"It's because I'm here that he did it, right?" He responded slowly, sadness mixing in with the worry present in his voice. "I know how people think of me. And...I heard him. 'Kids walking around with spikes down their backs like it's normal'. I didn't think anyone was hurting you when I heard it or I would have helped. I'm sorry."

"Don't be." Ann shook her head, staring warmly into his sad eyes. It reminded him a lot of how Lourdes looked at him and...like his mom used to. "None of this was your fault Ben. The Russels were acting solely on their own fear and prejudice. You're in no way accountable for their actions. But it is very sweet of you to check on me. Thank you." She added with a smile, causing Ben's cheeks to heat up as he stared at the floor.

"Um...you're welcome?" He responded questioningly, the way he always did when he was unsure what he said was the right response.

"Hey, I was wondering where you'd gotten off to." His embarrassment was completely forgotten as the voice's own ruffled his hair, leaving him sighing blissfully and eliciting a childish laugh from behind him. Turning around as the hand receded, he smiled brightly as Lourdes and Matt set a few crates down on the benches.

"You sounded like Bandit. Do you do that often?" Matt asked cheekily, referring to the puppy he'd gotten when he was six. Ben never liked that dog, it always insisted on ripping his shoes apart.

"It's his standard response." Lourdes answered for me, chuckling herself. "So what brings you here little brother?"

"Huh?" Matt cried, frowning confusedly. He wasn't sure why she'd ask. He was with her the whole time.

"I was on my way to the...library and thought I'd check on Dr Glass." Ben responded, growing disappointed as he said library. "I heard what happened and wanted to make sure she was ok."

"Quite the gentleman, isn't he?" Ann commented, already taking one of the new boxes and loading it with supplies. Lourdes however, had grown a slight frown, contemplating. Ben couldn't help but squirm a little under her gaze. He felt like he'd done something wrong again.

"Your dad suggested spending your day reading again?" She asked, keeping her voice light and curious. It had the desired effect, Ben's body immediately relaxed. However, Matt beat him to the punch.

"Of course he did. That's all Dad ever tells Ben to do." He cried exasperatedly, crossing his arms with a pout. "I get told I have to go to school and Ben gets told that he's too smart for what passes for school here and that he should just read to his heart's content. That's _so_ not fair! Why can't I be told to do something I like all day?"

"He tells me to chew before I swallow too." Ben joked half-heartedly, though it was clear to everyone but Matt, who looked ready to rant again, that his heart wasn't into it. "And who says I do what I like all day? I like reading, but I don't want to do it every day."

"Then why do you, math geek?" Matt responded with a raised eyebrow. Ben couldn't help the slight snort he released at that. It was Hal's favourite in their old name calling sessions. Though it was a lot less insulting and more playful when Matt used it.

"Because M-Dad tells me to." He answered as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, only causing Matt and Ann to frown.

"Not exactly the expected response from someone that's entering the rebellious phase of their life, is it?" Lourdes commented, letting out a small sigh. "Did you want to do anything else in particular today?"

"I was, um...hoping to spend some time with my siblings today sis." He replied hesitantly, his body clenching in on itself. There was no stopping the anxiety that coursed through him as he forced that up. It felt like he was being defiant and defying your master was completely unacceptable. "And I...I did want to talk to you about...um..." His hesitance only grew from there and he found it difficult to go on talking as his hand unconsciously went up to his neck and fingered his spikes. Fortunately, Lourdes caught the action.

His whole form visibly relaxed as Lourdes nodded, and smiled excitedly as his brain registered exactly what that meant. Even without the connection, Lourdes had read and understood him perfectly. Even Matt had grown more serious, seeming to realise just how important this was. He was getting better at his old way of connecting to people. Maybe even better than he'd been before. After all, only Tom had ever been able to interpret him like that before he was taken.

Striding back to the door, Lourdes peeked around outside just long enough to ensure that no one was coming their way before closing the door.

"Hang on!" Ann shouted, scaring Matt and startling the others. Realisation dawned on Lourdes' face an instant later.

"Oh, I'm sorry Ann. I just..."

"It's fine. Sorry." Ann said between breaths, dropping her head. Sighing defeatedly, she kneeled down and opened a draw, surprising everyone in the room as she pulled out a shotgun.

"I didn't know you had one of those." Matt commented, looking a cross between nervous and envious.

"Neither did I." Lourdes frowned, staring at it a little warily. Ben was a little confused by it to be honest. After all, just because he wasn't interested in fighting and wasn't paying much attention to the war effort, it made sense that everyone here would have a gun to protect themselves, especially the adults seeing as the Skitters would never connect them. Why wouldn't Dr Glass have one?

"Maggie gave it to me this morning." Ann responded, frowning distastefully at the piece of metal and confusing Ben even more. What was wrong with it? His dad and Hal were always quite comfortable with their guns. Hal actually got twitchy if his guns weren't within arm's reach. "You guys go ahead and talk. I'm going to go see her about those lessons she offered me."

"I don't mean to make you uncomfortable in your own clinic Dr Glass." Ben muttered apologetically, biting his lower lip. "I could just head down to the library, you don't have to go."

"Don't worry about it Ben. You don't want to go there and I was planning on taking the lessons anyway. It's fine." With one more reassuring, albeit slightly pained, smile, Ann duplicated Lourdes' initial action and almost had Ben moaning before heading out the door. Lourdes placed a comforting hand on her shoulder as she passed by and got a small hug in return, but otherwise her departure was uninterrupted. Sighing worriedly as she watched her mother-figure go on her way for a moment before closing the door and turning back to the younger Mason boys.

"So what's up? Did you discover a new trick or something?" She asked, her worry temporarily being overlapped by curiosity. Ben had already admitted to having hearing, strength and stamina far beyond any normal human. He even showed her his strength just yesterday, turning a car on its side with ease. Combining all that with the healing qualities proven by Rick's utter lack of cystic fibrosis, it actually made Lourdes wonder if Ben was at least partially right when he said being harnessed wasn't that bad of a thing. Physically and medically speaking, it had been working wonders, making the boys healthier than they could have ever imagined.

"Not something, someone." Ben replied, a confusing expression crossing his face. It looked to be a cross between excitement, happiness and panic, the three emotions that ran through him like wildfire every time he thought about it. "I could feel someone. It felt like when I was connected to my sib-group, weaker and a little disrupted, but still more or less the same. There's someone still connected around."

Whether it was a good or a bad thing, Ben couldn't decide. He still longed for that old connection, no matter how many days past without it or how much his human side retook of him. The few seconds he'd felt the other's mind felt like coming home, he'd felt happy and complete. He longed with all his being to feel it again. However, everyone he knew that he could connect to was on the other side of the war. That meant that the Skitters were very likely to be around, which again caused mix feelings from him. he wanted them to be close so he could feel everything the connection offered, make everything feel right again, but at the same time, he dreaded them coming anywhere near this place. If they did, Tom would die and so would Ann and many other good people. Hal, Matt and Lourdes might be ok, but if they did live, they would be taken to be connected. As much as he wished that they would be, he was fully aware that they didn't want that and he respected that decision. The Skitters wouldn't.

"Oh, that's probably Rick." Ok, that left him gaping. Lourdes knew about him? then why was she so calm?

"Yeah, he's still got his spikes too. And everyone says that he's weird. So who says he can't hear that static stuff you mentioned?" Matt shrugged, not noticing how excited his statement had made is brother.

"Then I can still feel it here." He muttered, his face slowly growing a large, ecstatic smile. "I don't have to go back! I can still feel it here! And without hurting anyone! YES!"

"Ben, quiet down a little bit." Lourdes hushed, though without the urgency she'd used every other time. She just didn't have the heart to wipe that look off his face. "The walls are only so thick."

"Oh, right. Sorry sis." Ben nodded sheepishly, though still grinning from ear to ear.

"Why do you call each other brother and sister?" Matt asked, frowning hard as he took a seat on a stool. "Lourdes isn't our sister. Unless she marrying Hal. Oh, is that it Lourdes? Why didn't anyone tell me?"

The kid was bouncing like he was on a sugar high as he looked from one older teen to the other, his face forever warping to and from excited and accusatory expressions. Lourdes couldn't answer the question, she was too busy blushing so red that that she could have made a tomato jealous, while Ben just looked confused as to why the question was asked in the first place. However, seeing that Lourdes was having trouble finding her voice, he tried to answer it right anyway.

"No, no weddings are being planned." He started, effectively freezing Matt on the seat. "It's...well, Lourdes is important to me, the way my s-group were." He stopped there for a moment, trying to organise how he felt into words. This area was after all, still a little tricky for him and it wasn't until after he'd sat down and pulled Matt to him in a one armed hug that he continued on. "When I was harnessed, my group were my siblings. We loved and cared about each other as much as you and I do. We relied on each other too, always helping each other, soothing each other. Making sure everyone was happy and healthy. Lourdes does all that for me and care about her as if she was a sibling. So I...kind of brought her into my new group. Our group. You're not mad at me for that are you?" He asked, growing a little worried. He'd never stopped to think about what the rest of his circle might feel about him bringing in another person until now. It just never came up. He never made sure that it was ok.

"Oh. Yeah, it's fine. I like Lourdes too." Matt grinned, allowing Ben to relax and laugh a little at his brother's sudden enthusiasm as he ran out of Ben's arms and hugged Lourdes. "Welcome to the family big sis." He said brightly, getting a bright smile from her before turning back to his brother. "You planning on going after Rick too?"

"Yes." Ben nodded with a slight frown. He didn't like that slight edge that had just appeared in Matt's voice. "Why? Don't you want me to?"

"You can if you want. I'm not your boss. You can call him brother too if that's what you want. But I won't." Was Matt's response, staring sharply right into Ben's eyes. "Something about him scares me. He can be one brother you can have to yourself."

"Fair enough." Ben muttered, trying to hide how hurt that just made him feel. Someone like him scared his little brother? Then did Matt feel that way around him too? Was it only because they were brothers that Matt was ok with him? But no, that couldn't be right. Matt still snuck into his cot every night and sat close to him whenever they were together. Now he was confused too.

"Come on, let's go find Tom." Lourdes suggested, squirming a little herself. Within a moment, the tension between the brothers had grown a little uncomfortable. "Let him know Ben's spending the day with me. I could use the help packing all the equipment up and we could go grab a soccer ball and play outside for a while when we're done." She suggested, instantly lighting Ben's face back up.

"That sounds great." He nodded, jumping to his feet. he was already heading to the door before what had just happened even registered through Matt's brain.

"Wait, why do we have to tell Dad about that? Why not just do it?" He asked, completely lost, but following Ben and Lourdes anyway.

"It's just how Ben is right now." Lourdes answered softly, growing a little more cautious as Ben reached the door. "He needs your dad's approval, especially since Tom already told him to go to the library. He sees it as a command."

"That don't sound like Ben." Matt mused, staring worriedly his brother's back. "Well, not the old anyway. But then again, I never knew what the old Ben was saying most of the time. Dad could have been that supreme thingy or Dumbledore for all I knew."

Though he could hear them fine, Ben wasn't really paying them any attention. He was barely holding himself back from running at top speed, ecstatic with the attempt at a change in orders. It had never happened without an enemy attack before, but he was sure that his dad would say yes. He was always trying to make Ben smile when they were together, they even finished another chapter of Harry Potter together just the night before. Why wouldn't the answer be yes?

That control broke however, the second his hand found the doorknob. In his excitement, he almost ripped the door right off its hinges, causing both Matt and Lourdes to jump in freight at the resulting BANG, and ran out into the hall...only to crash right into something soft.

"WHAA!" The cry made Ben flinch as he and his crash victim fell to the ground, his lips being right next to Ben's enhanced ears. It was quickly forgotten however as they hit in a mess of tangled limbs as a round piece of metal ploughed right into his stomach , winding him and leaving him coughing and spluttering.

"Are you guys ok?" Lourdes cried, already back in medic mode, grabbing Ben and helping him get up off what turned out to be a very impressive gun. "Oh man, good thing the safety's on." She muttered as Ben's body revealed the weapon, shuddering at the possible disaster. Ben however, was a little more concerned about who he was laying on than what was pressing at his gut.

"I-I'm sorry." He stuttered between deep breaths as the other guy groaned. "I wasn't...watching where I was going." He added sheepishly only for his voice to slow down when he finally saw his victim.

He was a teenager around Ben's age, maybe a year younger. His form was looked a bit bulkier than he felt, something Ben determined was a result of his baggy clothes and large vest, with brown hair a bit longer than the average guy's. But it was his clear blue eyes that caught Ben's attention. They seemed to stand out in his face and, much to Ben's happiness, held none of the usual hostility people usually directed his way. The boy was shocked and maybe slightly annoyed, but there wasn't the slightest suggestion of a dirty or distrustful look.

"It's fine, but can you get off me now?" He asked, pushing up a little against Ben's shoulder. Snapping out of his daze, Ben uttered another quick sorry as he untangled his limbs and moved away, offering a hand. The boy took it a moment later, nodding appreciatively. "Thanks."

"No problem. Least I could do." Ben responded, turning a little shy. He wasn't sure why, but his heart rate had increased a little and he could feel his cheeks heating up a little bit. Suddenly he felt the urge to impress. Like he had to make sure that he didn't mess this meeting up. "I'm Ben. What's your name?"

"Jimmy." The boy answered, taking back his hand and making the heat in Ben's face grow. He hadn't realised that he was still holding it. "It's nice meeting the middle Mason and all, but sorry, I gotta go. I'm sure I'll catch you later."

"Ok, see you." Ben said softly, offering a shy smile as Jimmy walked away and feeling it grow as he got a wave in return. He continued watching until Jimmy had turned into a room, breathing in deeply to compensate for his thumping heart. There was something about that boy. He made him feel happy, nervous and excited all at once. It was similar to how Lourdes and his brothers made him feel, but...different. He couldn't quite explain it. All he knew is that he found the last one he wanted. Groups or siblings, whatever you wanted to call them, were always made up of one master and six siblings. He wanted Jimmy to be the sixth.

But then, that didn't feel exactly right either. Yes, he wanted Jimmy to be with him like his brothers and sister, but...a part of him wanted something different, something more. He just couldn't figure out what it was.

_Jimmy...I hope we meet up again soon._


	4. Chapter 4

**AN:** Hey, just taking a moment to say thanks for the reviews. Makes writing stories so much more rewarding.

* * *

**Chapter 4**

"Of all the outdoor activities in the world, you chose to drag us on a fishing trip?" Hal had been complaining all day. Make that all weekend. He hadn't bothered to pay attention the many times Tom and Rebecca mentioned that the weekend fishing trip was planned and made a date with Rita. Tom was adamant about everyone coming along and had dealt with hours of Hal's complaining, shouting and endless attempts at worming his way out before Tom simply told him that if he didn't cut it out, he was ground.

So Hal was forced along and was doing everything in his power to make everyone as miserable as he felt.

"Hal be quiet, you're scaring away the fish." Ben said calmly, not even bothering to look at his seething brother. Unlike the hothead, he'd long decided that fishing was his favourite outdoor activity. It usually took a while for a fish to bite the hook and the rod could be held up very easily, leaving his hands free to flip the pages of his book.

"Don't tell me what to do math geek." Hal snapped spitefully, clenching his fists. "You're only happy to be here because your entire life could be brought onto a dingy."

"Hal, that's enough!" Rebecca snapped back. One look from her had Hal shutting up instantly, though there was no removing the smouldering look on his face.

"Hey Dad, I got one, I got one!" Matt cried excitedly, yanking his rod back and forth wildly. He seemed to grow frustrated as the fish refused to surface and yanked harder, rocking the whole boat in the process.

"Matt, lighten up, you're gonna capsize us." Ben hissed, jerking his body protectively around his book as Matt's actions started throwing water into the air. Grabbing his fishing hat off his head, he wrapped it around his book before shoving under his shirt. "You're not getting anywhere anyway."

"Easy Matt." Tom chuckled affectionately, wrapping his arms around his baby boy and placing his hands over Matt's. "Let it go a little bit and reel it in with the line, not wild tugs."

Guiding Matt's finger's to the handle, he coaxed him into the rotating motion and was rewarded with an excited laugh as the fish actually was drawn in. Sighing, Ben let himself relax and pulled his book back out while his mother cheered the little guy on. Settling against the side of the boat as he found his page, he spared his brother's exploits one glance as he put on his hat. However, just as he turned his attention back to the black ink in his hands, his mother let out a panicked gasp.

"What is _that_?" She cried, her eyes glued to the end of the line. Following her gaze, Ben found himself staring at something green and ugly. It looked more like a bug's exoskeleton than the scales of a fish, but it was far too huge to be an insect.

"Daddy? What should I do?" Matt asked, a tremor coursing through his voice as his hands stopped moving. Ben didn't need to spare a glance to know that his little brother was about to wet himself. He was shaking hard enough to rock the boat again.

The lack of a retracting string wasn't stopping whatever it was from rising though. Within a moment its entire head had broken through the water's surface. Not a second later, its reptilian eyes locked right onto Ben's and he froze as something familiar filled his being. Something soothing, pleasant, bringing with it an air of completion. A total of three other presences joined his, the two living ones filling him with so much bliss that it was impossible not to embrace it, let them in and fill him.

_Awaken child. It is time to come home._

...

Ben's blanket flew to the ground as his body whipping into an upright position, his eyes open wide. His breathing was hard and laboured and he dimly noticed a tingling in his spikes as they glowed. But it was what he felt his head and chest that had him excited. The feeling of multiple hearts beating in unison. The dull feeling of a lifeless unit responding to orders granted from another. And, the most wondrous feeling he'd ever had the pleasure of experiencing. The feeling of two other minds, two other sets of emotions, calling out and joining his own, filling him with the feeling of completion, perfection, bliss. He felt whole and completely accepted. It was much weaker than he remembered and one of the living minds was even weaker, but the connection still felt perfect to him and he revelled in the sensation.

That is, until reality broke through the pleasured filled haze with a resounding bang.

_A mech!_ He couldn't jump out of bed fast enough as that realisation struck home, emphasised by the constant screaming both inside and out of the school mingling with the jackhammer-like noise of assault rifles pounding into his ears. That was the lifeless unit he felt! They got all of their orders from the same connection all living units did. He could always feel them nearby when he was harnessed. But without a master nearby...

_Come children. Return to us._ The stronger mind in his head, it was a Skitter. He was close too, it was the only way he could feel him so strongly. His glee, his affection, his triumph, Ben could feel it all. To feel him so strongly without the harness, and to feel Rick and the Mech so strongly through him, he had to be inside the school.

"Oh no." That was not good. If it was inside the building then it could kill or take anyone. Matt was still sleeping on his cot beside him, unphased by the absence of his brother's torso. Safe for now. But what about Hal? His dad? Lourdes?

_I've got to find it._ A wave of emotion that could only be recognised as the Skitter being pleased with him surged right through him as he got up and for a moment he felt...happy. he'd pleased a Skitter, pleased one of his Mas...

"No! M-Dad's my master. Not a Skitter." He cried, shaking his head clear. "I have to be more careful." He muttered as he ran out the door, struggling to stay focus as he delved into the connection. Ignoring the Mech's lifeless signal and the excited one that had to be the boy Matt and Lourdes mentioned, Rick, he focused as hard as he could on the Skitter, tracking it down.

"Almost...he's...that way!" Proud of his abilities, Ben spun on his heel and ran as fast as he could to what Hal had told him was the unused part of the school.

"AAHHH!"

"What the?"

"Look out! That blur's a Razorback!"

"His spikes are glowing! Stop him, he's calling the Skitters!"

Ben paid them no mind as he ran through scared crowds, swerving only to avoid the random person who tried to intercept him. It didn't matter what they thought of him right now. What mattered was that he kept his siblings safe.

It was just as he turned a corner to find three rage driven men coming at him that his connection intensified and he was gifted with something he hadn't even considered since the morning after he was deharnessed that shocked him so much that he almost stopped in his tracks: a vision through another's eyes. The Skitter's eyes.

_Come to me child. You are not far._ Ben disregarded the voice completely as he watched the scene rolling in his head. Terrified screams were hitting the Skitter's ears as he thrust his hand through a chained door and latched onto a small body. The images themselves were hard to focus on as both the Skitter and the child he was holding whipped wildly, trying to immobilise or escape from the other before the boy brought up a shotgun and fired wildly back. The vision ended as a bullet nicked the Skitter and the boy got free, but it lasted just long enough for him to see the boy's face as he turned and ran and his blood ran cold. It was Jimmy.

"No." He whispered, hyperventilating as his heart thumped wildly in his chest. Jimmy didn't want this. He couldn't let it happen.

"Get out of my WAY!" The approaching men almost flinched at the sheer loudness of his voice as Ben pulled himself back into full speed, charging right at his would-be attackers. They didn't waver at all in their obvious attempts to apprehend him, but Ben wasn't worried in the least. Coming just within arm's length of them, he jumped up onto a pair of wrists and propelled himself right over their heads, leaving the middle man screaming in pain on the ground as he kept on his way.

He was lucky that the school building contained the same basic floor plan throughout the whole thing and that he was so fast. Between that and his ability to sense the Skitter, it took him almost no time to close in on its location.

It was something he was beyond thankful for, for the moment he burst into the room, it was to find Jimmy cornered, out of ammo and more scared than Ben had ever seen anyone in his life as the Skitter destroying a globe approached him.

_Good, you have arrived. Help me take this child._ Focusing so much on Jimmy, Ben hadn't noticed his connection growing stronger the whole time he'd been running and now, right before Ben could run between them, his mind was hit with so much overwhelming influence that he froze completely. He couldn't help, it was almost exactly like he was wearing the harness again. Every part of his individual mind shut down, his body calming and his eyes turning dull as a result. All his worries were gone. The only thing crossing his mind was the work the Skitters, his master wanted him to do and the happiness of being able to please them. Just like he had before.

"There's nothing to fear." He stated, taking on a much more formal speech pattern bearing almost no emotion as he walked slowly towards the terrified teenager. "You will not be harmed."

The Skitter did nothing as Ben approached, choosing to merely block the way to the exit. Screaming, Jimmy tried firing his gun again, but it was clear to all that it was out of bullets.

"Someone HELP! PLEASE?" Tears poured freely down the brunette's face as he pushed himself back, pressing himself harder against the boxes behind him only to whimper when he found himself unable to recede any further. Jimmy's hyperventilating filled Ben's ears like a foghorn as he approached.

And that, coupled with the wild, horrified blue eyes staring up at him as he kneeled down before him made Ben's mind snap back to reality. Everything about him came crashing through the wall the connection had erected, his individuality smashing through what his mind was telling him was the right way to think and act. This Skitter wasn't the one he took orders from. He didn't have to please him and there was no way he was doing this.

_No! I can't let you take him. _He thought firmly, raising his arms protectively as he stared hard back over his shoulder, right into the suddenly flustered Skitter's eyes.

_Yes you can and you will. You want this._ Its will almost overwhelmed Ben's thought patterns again as it spoke to him, filling his mind firmly. _I can feel your desire. You want him connected to you. You want him in your circle. You can have him child, in every way you desire. You just have to bring him with us._

It was all true, he couldn't deny it. He wanted touch Jimmy's mind, feel each other's emotions. He wanted Jimmy to know him inside and out and know Jimmy just as thoroughly, even more so than anyone else, as strange as that was to him. That possibility was so close, so real now, that all he had to do was reach out and take it. His own temptation was so great and the Skitter's insistence was so overwhelming that his hands moved to Jimmy's arms on their own accord, gently wrapping around them. However, once again, a single look at Jimmy's face overrode all of it. The boy was so desperate to get as far away from the Skitter as he could, so desperate to stay alive and free, as he was. As much as Ben wanted to connect with him, he couldn't do it. He could never take away something so important as being an individual was to Jimmy from him. He'd never be able to forgive himself for taking away the boy's free will.

_I_ _love the feeling of being connected. And there is nothing I'd like more than to feel his mind._ He started, pulling a screaming Jimmy to his feet. _But I refuse to let anyone make that decision for him!_

The sheer force of his determination had the Skitter frozen in disbelief, giving Ben more than enough time to act.

"AH! AAHHH!" His head flinching as Jimmy's screams pounded into his sensitive ears, he lifted the boy up and over his shoulder before running straight for the Skitter. The alien snapped back to reality just as Ben reached him and moved to grab both of them, but Ben, still listening in on every thought, feeling and intention the Skitter had, reacted instinctively and jumped, kicking him in the side of the head. It wasn't enough to hurt him, just enough to stun him long enough for Ben to get Jimmy safely out of the Skitter's reach. It wasn't like he wanted to hurt the Skitter after all, he just wanted him to leave the 2nd Mass alone.

"What are you doing? Let me go!" Jimmy cried, flailing erratically. He was no less panicked than when the Skitter was towering over him, not that Ben could blame him. Ben would have slipped right back into his harnessed mindset completely if it wasn't for Jimmy.

"I'm saving you. I can run a lot faster than you can and the Skitter's coming after us." He responded, adjusting his grip so as to stop Jimmy's legs kicking his gut before picking up the pace. He could feel the Skitter chasing and closing in fast, very angry at Ben's defiance and assault. In any other circumstance, Ben would feel horrible and do everything he could to gain the Skitter's forgiveness, but Jimmy's body pressed over his shoulder and his screaming voice were more than enough to resist that instinct.

Turning a corner, he let his hope rise a little as the panicked and barking voices of civilians and soldiers respectively grew louder. He was almost there, the Skitter would never follow him into that on its own. Jimmy would be safe soon.

However, a sudden, mental boom struck his head hard a second later .

"AUGH!" His head swimming, he stumbled, crashing his side into a locker. His grip on Jimmy slipped as he fell to the ground, but it was the least f his worries. His head was still spinning as he raised his hand to his temples, kicking himself for his mistake. The whole time he'd been running, he'd kept the connection active and strong as possible. He'd done it partially because he couldn't find it in him to willingly break it, but also to keep track of the Skitter. The problem was that once it got within a few feet of him, the willing connection made up for the lack of a harness, giving the Skitter far too much access to his mind.

The blood pumping hard in his ears blocking out all other sounds and his vertigo not giving an inch, it took almost everything Ben had just to raise his head as the Skitter slowed down right in front of them. Hissing through his teeth, he tried to stand, but his legs were like jelly. He tried to call for help, but his throat just wouldn't cooperate. He'd allowed the Skitter to get too far into his head, now he couldn't block him out if he tried.

"No!" It was all he could get out and it sounded like he hadn't had a single gulp of water for days as he forced himself protectively over Jimmy, shielding him with his body. _Please don't take him. Please! Take me and leave him. Please._

_I shall take you both child._ Ben's heart filled with dread as that was passed into his head, not even caring about the anger and disappointment that came with it. _Consider it punishment. You will watch him become connected and then be connected completely again yourself. But don't worry. After that, you will have your true wish._ The last line came with an air of affection, much like the one he'd awoken to, and as much as Ben hated himself for it, he couldn't help but feel happy he was still deemed worthy of it and keen to touch Jimmy's mind like he was promise.

It all went away a second later though as he stared down at the boy defeatedly. Jimmy wouldn't have been able to move even if Ben wasn't hovering over him. His face was white as paper and his eyes were staring back at Ben's with so much fear and desperation that it hurt Ben to the core just to look at it.

"I...I'm sorry." He could barely force the words out as a fresh wave of vertigo struck, the Skitter grabbing him by the shoulder and pulling him up. "I...t-tried."

Jimmy just watched, stiff as a board, as Ben was ripped away from him, held high by the back of his neck like a puppy. Neither could find any fight left in them. They were completely defenceless.

Securing his hold on Ben and sure he wasn't going anywhere, the Skitter moved down to grab Jimmy only to halt at the last few seconds as panic filled his system. Ben however, actually grinned, albeit painfully, as he felt it, fully aware of the cause. The signal from the Mech had gone out completely, which could only mean that it was destroyed. The Skitter had no time to grab anyone else. He and Jimmy were probably doomed to be taken, but Matt, Lourdes and Hal were safe.

_There are worse fates than this._ He decided, letting his eyes shut as an air of approval drifted through his connection. Though he regretted the thought almost instantly as it reminded the Skitter to grab Jimmy. Tentacle-like fingers wrapped around the suddenly wild child's collar, raising him into the air...

Only for a loud bang to herald a sudden plummet back to the ground.

"Uuhh!" Ben's heart clenched as he ploughed back down, his body losing all response. Pain shot right through him, emphasised by an overflowing amount of anguish. Tears stung at his eyes as they closed, his world consumed by darkness. His connection was broken again, and just like the first time, the last thing he felt was the Skitter's last, horrific moment.

_At least Jimmy is safe._ Was his last thought as the boy's whimpers and the stomping of boots faded into silence and what remained of his consciousness disappeared completely.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

The look on Tom's face would have been heart wrenching to anyone who saw it as he stared down at his son. His world had been crushed yet again as reality sunk in, promising only more fear and grief where Ben was concerned.

He was so sure that Ben would be fine when they got him back. It was a belief that he had to hold on to to stop himself from falling apart. Then they got him back and he was happy, healthy. A little disorientated, yes, but that was expected. He was so sure that his middle child was perfect, even with the spikes sticking around. He never saw a reason to think otherwise.

Now however, in one instant, that bubble had popped. Rumours of Ben's spikes _glowing_ were spreading through the school like wildfire, along with claims that he'd been working for the Skitter. The display of speed and effortlessly shattering a man's wrist were only adding fuel to the fire. But what really terrified him was the fact that, as many felt the need to point out, Ben had run right to the Skitter.

_They're still trying to take him._ He thought miserably, not even able to work up the expected rage as he stared down at his still unconscious son. _And he responded._

He wasn't sure how long he'd sat there, hoping Ben would wake up. The blonde had been out since the death of the Skitter and that was over an hour ago. Jimmy had been a sobbing mess so getting information out of him was hopeless at the time. Ann had left him hugging Weaver of all people while she looked over Ben, but she couldn't find a thing that would explain why he wasn't waking up or why he'd collapsed in the first place. So she had Tom take him to his cot while she moved on the distraught teen clearly in shock. He'd tried waking Ben up the whole way back, shaking him, calling his name, but the boy hadn't responded in the slightest. If it weren't for the his stable breathing and pulse, Tom would have thought that Ben had died with the Skitter. Those were the only signs of life he had.

"Kind of like the old days isn't it? Only back then, this was how you'd find me." Hal commented, trying his best to sound light hearted. "It looks like Ben finally came under my wing. I never could understand how he could possibly handle his sleeping patterns."

"He was always as stubborn about being up to see the sun rise as you were about sleeping in till lunch." Tom nodded, chuckling sadly. "Your mother and I'd wake up and he'd already be set to go to school and watching a documentary on the life and culture of the Native Americans or life in the savannah."

"Yeah, I still remember the time some random tribe's battle cry suddenly exploded through the TV speakers. The dork had turned the TV up so loud that I thought some gang was attacking us and jumped twelve feet out of my bed." Hal laughed, looking down at Ben with both annoyance and amusement. "And he had the audacity to claim that I left the TV that loud the night before when I was 'making out' with Rita so he and Matt wouldn't hear the moaning."

"Which got you grounded for having Rita over while we were out." Tom added with a shake of his head. "And to think that I would quite happily go back to when worrying about my son's libido was one of the biggest issues in my life."

"Oh, like I was going to do anything big with her while Math Geek and Shrimp were in the house." Hal rolled his eye, though he couldn't quite keep the smile off his face. "Matt would have screamed gross and Ben would have called you the minute he caught us. Either way it would be ruined."

Tom was about to respond when movement at the door caught his eye, resulting with him staring at a very concerned Weaver. Hal took one look at his tense father as the Captain approached before turning back to Ben.

"How's jimmy?" Was the first words from his mouth as he rose to meet the elder man, subconsciously moving a little in between Weaver and his boys. If Weaver noticed or cared about the action, he didn't show it, choosing instead to answer the question.

"He's shaken up good, but other than that he's fine. Tough kid that one, quite the fighter for someone so young. Though what he told me has me a little bit disturbed and as much as you're not going to like it, you have to listen."

"What is it?" Tom asked dejectedly, rubbing his forehead as dread filled his stomach. He had a good feeling he knew what was coming.

"Jimmy says that Ben tried to save him. In the end." Weaver's voice didn't hold a shred of emotion as he talked, however his second sentence only made Tom's fear and worry grow. "However, when he first saw Ben, it was clear your boy wasn't the one in control. According to Jimmy, everything from the look on his face to the way he held himself and even the way he talked was like a harnessed kid. His eyes were blank. He was following the Skitter's orders."

Tom leg's felt like jelly as that hit home. That was even worse than he'd thought. He hadn't just responded to one, he actually served it? Just how much had he been blind to? And how close was he to losing Ben all over again?

"How...do we know what snapped him out of it?" He asked, stuttering as he practically flopped back into his seat. He didn't even pay attention as Hal tensed behind him, taking up his position between Weaver and Ben.

"Jimmy's not sure." Weaver stated calmly. "One minute he's looking into blank eyes as Ben's about to pick him up, the next Ben's position turned protective and his eyes turned conflicted. But whatever the case, this has proven that your son is still influenced by them. Mike's boy as well, he was found unconscious not far away from the Skitter too."

"So...where are you going with this?" Tom asked, struggling to keep his voice from growing aggressive. He knew the risks Weaver had noticed and what many in the Second Mass were going to want, but this was his boy they were talking about and there was no way he was going to let them touch even a single hair on his head.

"I'm saying that you need to keep a closer eye on him." Weaver said firmly, his eyes piercing right into Tom's. "We can't risk him telling the cockroaches anything and at this point we can't trust him. Find out how he snapped out of it, find out who's side he's on and make sure he has a...companion at all times."

"He is on _our_ side." Tom snapped, unable to help himself as his anger bubbled. "He struggled and saved Jimmy, not capture him."

"I believe that he is a good kid Tom, but the Skitter has proven that he isn't free from them." Weaver growled, stepping right up into Tom's face. "And even Lourdes and Ann have admitted that he's not completely normal, though anyone who isn't you has seen that his mind's not quite right just by looking at him. It's expected after what happened and I don't intend to let anyone throw him out of the regiment, but we need to have control over him. If he turns on us, he will be our greatest enemy. He will get us all killed. We need to keep an eye on him."

Tom stared right back, but the fire in his eyes was well and truly gone. Weaver was right, he could see it now. Ben was far from a normal teenager and leaving him to his own devices could be disastrous, not only for the second, but for Ben too. And that was without considering what certain members of the regiment might do to him after all that went down tonight. The boy might as well have a bullseye on his back.

"You're right." He sighed, dropping his head and staring sadly down at Ben, pulling the blanket higher up his bare torso. He couldn't resist the need to cover the spikes. "He's been hanging out with Lourdes a little bit lately. If Hal and I aren't with him, she will be."

"That's...better than nothing." Weaver sighed, nodding in hesitant acceptance. "Though I want you to have Dai, Anthony or Maggie check in him periodically whenever he's with Lourdes. Plus, I do want to hear of any developments concerning his mental state. I need to know what's going on, what level of potential threat we're looking at."

He could only nod at that, unable to rebut the need, but unwilling to admit it was necessary. He was sure Ben would never hurt Lourdes though, she was his only friend and he seemed happiest when she was around. If She told him to do or stop something, Tom was pretty sure that he'd listen. Besides, as much as he knew he shouldn't he wanted to maintain some of the fantasy that he'd apparently created. He wanted to believe that the old Ben still had at least some control.

"He does Tom." Startled, Tom, Hal and Weaver turned to the door to see Lourdes walking, albeit hesitantly, in, offering him a small smile as she moved towards Ben. "There's a lot of him in there and in control. Saving Jimmy's already plenty of proof of that and if you pay attention to him you see plenty of other examples."

"Lourdes, how..." Tom started, staring at the girl in blatant confusion as she pulled Ben's arm out of the blanket and checked his pulse.

"You were thinking out loud Dad." Hal answered for her as she nodded her head in satisfaction before placing a pair of fingers on Ben's neck.

"Has he woken up at all?" She asked, basically ignoring Weaver's presence completely as she checked over his airways. Tom wasn't really sure why, Ann had already done all that, but he guessed that she just wanted reassurance.

"No. He hasn't even moved an inch." He replied, shaking his head sadly.

"Have you tried telling him to wake up?" She asked, appearing satisfied with Ben's vitals before turning to a very confused Tom.

"Not with those exact words, but-"

"Come here." Lourdes interrupted, standing up straight. Frowning, Tom shared a look with Weaver and Hal before doing what she said, letting her take his hand and placing it on Ben's shoulder. "Keep your hand there and tell him to wake up. Just try it." She added with a no nonsense tone that sounded far too much like his late wife's. Only getting a confused shrug from Hal as he looked up, he shrugged himself and decided to follow orders.

"Ben? Benny, I need you to wake up now." He said softly, gently shaking the blonde.

"Y-yes master." Tom froze right in his tracks at that, Hal and Weaver tensing not a second later. The fact that the boy had woken up so instantly was shocking enough but master? Where had that come from? Did he think Tom was a Skitter?

From the corner of his eye, he could see the other men hadn't taken it any better than he had. Hal's face had grown dark, the boy trying very hard to hold back his fear and anger and Weaver's hand looked like he was itching to grab his gun, though he was fighting the urge. Sitting on his own cot, Matt watched on with a slight frown, though it seemed more directed at the others' reactions then Ben's. Only Lourdes seemed completely unphased. To Tom, it almost seemed that she'd expected that exact reaction right down to the last letter.

"Ben, I'm not a master, it's me, Dad." He muttered, his voice shaking as he fought to keep it calm. The last thing he needed was to freak Ben out.

"Oh, right. Sorry M-Dad." He responded sheepishly as he sat up, looking around the room and growing confused at the number of people staring at him. "Um...did I do something wrong sis?" He asked, earning even more confused looks from Hal and Tom and raised eyebrow from Weaver.

"No" Lourdes answered instantly, offering an affectionate smile as she ruffled his hair, leaving him releasing the usual, pleasured hums. "You saved Jimmy. I'd say you did something very good, wouldn't you Tom?"

"Yeah. Though I wish that you'd have stayed far away from the Skitter." Tom nodded, trying to hold back everything he felt. There was no need to stress Ben out anymore than he probably already was after all.

However, it seemed that he'd done just that. Tom watched, grow steadily more confused as Lourdes cringed at his statement two seconds before Ben not only stopped producing the happy noises, but snapped his wide, distressed eyes open, staring up at him with a panicked guilt.

"I-I'm sorry. I just wanted to get the Skitter to go away and leave my siblings alone. I didn't know I was supposed to stay away, I'm sorry M-Dad." His words were tumbling out of his mouth almost too fast for the others to catch them as he hyperventilated. The sight of him like that almost broke Tom's heart. He had no idea what he'd done wrong, but whatever it was it had left Ben feeling a need to beg for forgiveness. What was there to forgive? Even if the Skitter had caught his mind, he'd already admitted that he'd gone to protect other people. That was noble and worth praise, not punishment.

"Ben, calm down. It's ok." He exclaimed, gently moving Lourdes away so he could hug Ben. "I'm not mad at you, I'm proud of you. I'm just worried about you too." He stated soothingly, sighing in relief as the blonde relaxed against him, his breathing returning to normal. Well, that was one benefit to all this. Whatever was causing him to panic like that was making it just as easy to sooth the troubled boy. Looking down at Ben's face, he could even see a happy smile replacing the upsetment.

But even that felt strange to Tom. Ben was never like that. His emotions had always been well controlled, even now when he'd seen him talking to Matt or Lourdes. So how had he caused Ben's sporadic mood swings?

Rubbing Ben's back, careful to avoid the spikes, Tom ignored the hard faces of Hal and Weaver as he turned to Lourdes. He didn't have a clue what was going on and Hal clearly didn't either, but Lourdes did.

"I need you to tell me everything you know." He stated firmly, only receiving just as firm a nod in return.

"You have no idea how right you are." She agreed before looking pointedly at the others occupying the room. "Hal, follow Matt's instructions, he knows how to keep Ben happy and if you don't he's going to feel lost and confused. Captain Weaver, please ask Ben any questions you feel you need answered tomorrow or better yet, let me get them for you later. I think it's safe to say that he's had enough excitement for one night. Tom, If you want to know, come with me."

"I only need one question answered and it shouldn't bother him too much." Weaver stated, clearly not following Lourdes' orders. Not that that surprised anyone. However, what did was that as he approached the cot and kneeled down beside Ben, his hard face softened. He was looking almost gentle by the time they were eye to eye. "Son, what broke you out of the Skitter's control?"

Frowning, Ben stared down at the floor thoughtfully. You could almost see the gears moving in his head as he replayed the scenario over, analysing the whole thing. Tom couldn't help but snort at that. He was clearly going over every little detail of the moment, even the ones irrelevant to the question. He guessed Lourdes was right, if you looked right you'd find plenty of Ben's old quirks.

"It...didn't have full control over me to begin with." He started slowly, biting his lip nervously as he looked up at Tom, as if silently asking for permission to go on. Though it confused him, he nodded anyway, before Weaver could grow impatient. "It was more like...it was what I was used to and it felt right. I just sort of slipped into it. I'm not really sure how that happened." He added, seeming to grow a little confused before pressing on, clearly troubled by the frowns pointed his way. "But whatever it was, it disappeared when I looked at Jimmy. He was so scared that it made everything feel wrong. I didn't want him to be scared anymore."

"I see. Thank you Son." Weaver nodded politely before pulling away.

"So Jimmy saved him and then he saved Jimmy?" Hal asked, raising an eyebrow. "So if Ben goes weird we just show him a scared kid? Well, that shouldn't be too hard."

"Probably not just any kid." It was muttered so low that Tom almost didn't hear it. Though Lourdes clearly wasn't going to say anything else right now, it was obvious he wasn't supposed to hear her. So he just mulled it over as he watched Weaver leave the room only to stop and turn as he reached the door.

"Tom, you better talk to the parents again about the sanctuary offer. This Skitter attack isn't theoretical anymore."

"I know." Tom said softly, though he was still far from ok with. Considering how close he'd just come to losing Ben again, along with Jimmy, he wasn't exactly anymore keen to let his boys out of his sight than he was before.

"It's not so much an attack as it is a kidnapping." Ben cried hurriedly, as if he was trying to get it all out before he could change his mind. A fact that only made the response of everyone in the room that much worse.

Within an instant the room was as cold as ice and everyone was frozen still, staring at Ben with rapidly paling, horrified faces. The tension in the air was thick enough to cut with a knife.

"What do you mean Ben?" Tom asked, the first to find his voice. Hal was still gaping like a fish and if Weaver bit his lip any harder Lourdes would have to stitch it up.

"While I was connected to the Skitter, I..." He started, halting nervously as Hal's face darkened. Glaring at his oldest brother, Matt jumped out of his seat and sat on Ben's lap, nuzzling his chest in an attempt to comfort him. It seemed to do the trick as Ben found his voice. "Well, I got some information from its mind. Not a lot because I was always focusing either on where it was or looking at what it saw to check on Jimmy, but I did get a little about the plan for here. They couldn't care less about the adults, they only want to grab all the kids here and connect them. That Skitter was sent to find out how many were here while the Mech distracted you. After that, I got the sense of some elaborate plan, but I don't know what."

Tom felt as if he'd stepped into the arctic circle. It was just one wave of ice freezing his system after another and with each new shock he was coming closer to completely breaking down. He couldn't handle any more issues. He needed answers and solutions, not more problems.

He had to save his boys. Now.

"Now I'm really enforcing sending the kids ahead." Weaver stated, his tone leaving no room for argument. "If the Skitters are coming here specifically for the kids then we need to get them out of here as soon as possible. There even less safe now than we thought they were an hour ago. Who knows what trick they'll try next."

"You're right." Sighed, conceding defeat as he stared brokenly at Ben. It didn't matter that the separation felt wrong to him now. He couldn't be clingy, all that had done so far was get Ben back in very close proximity with his old slave masters. He couldn't let that happen again, no matter how much he wanted to keep his boys in sight.

Clearly he hadn't been paying enough attention as the younger ones needed anyway.

His mind made up, he glanced around at his kids once more and gave Lourdes a 'we'll talk later' look before following Weaver to the gymnasium. He'd inform the other parents of the decision and have them preparing for their children's departure early tomorrow. Then he was going to talk to Lourdes and find out just what he'd been blind to.

He was going to get his answers and save Ben, even if it was from his own head.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

The parents hadn't taken that announcement nearly as well as Tom would have liked, but considering that none had put up a real fight and how upset he was about the separation himself, it was more than understandable. All of them were preparing their kids' bags now while their children were returned to their beds. They'd have to be up good and early tomorrow and they had a long walk ahead of them, it was best that they sleep as much as their scared minds would allow.

They were lucky in one prospect though. Only one fighter had been killed in the attack and the rest only had very minor wounds at the most, meaning that their medical supplies hadn't taken the expected hit. It also meant that after Jimmy was released, the clinic was empty of everyone but Ann and Lourdes. It was the perfect place for Tom to get his answers.

"Have a seat Tom. We might be here for a while." Ann said softly, coaxing him onto a stool and sitting beside him as Lourdes sat down across from them. Her hand squeezed his shoulder comfortingly as he groaned, staring down at the bench. He really didn't want to hear what he knew was sure to come, but he had no choice. Pretending Ben was fine would only hurt his boy and maybe even them all. That was painfully clear and to fix it, he had to know all of it.

"So you both noticed something wrong with Ben." He started as he looked up forlornly, not wanting to hold it off any longer. Time to bite the bullet. "How bad are we talking?"

"He's stuck in transition." Lourdes answered softly, offering a sympathetic look. "He's lived with a hive orientated mind for so long that his individuality hasn't been able to completely reassert itself. He's caught halfway."

"Which normally would drive you insane by now." Ann added, though she was quick to go on as Tom's expression grew very pained. "Ben is an exception to the rule though. He's handling it pretty well, though it hasn't made this whole thing any less confusing for him."

"Confusing?" Tom asked, probing for an explanation.

"Well, you've noticed that he always calls you _M_-Dad, right?" Lourdes asked, getting a nod in return. "Well it's because he's always catching himself before his says master. He calls his old Skitter master his guardian and that plus the fact that his pre harnessed memories have him doing whatever you and your wife asked of him, his mind has associated all parental names with master."

"He thinks of me as his slave owner?" Tom cried, horrified. "How could...when have I ever...I'd never..."

"Tom, he doesn't think badly of you. Quite the opposite actually." Lourdes said soothingly. "But he's also never seen himself as a slave. His Skitter loved his group, like a parent. The kids strive to make their guardian happy and get affection in return. that's why he can associate you to a Skitter master so easily. It's something that both sides of his mindset agrees on. It's...also why he's still comfortable in the presence of Skitters." She added hesitantly, her face turning apologetic as Tom grew panicked again.

"Are you telling me that he likes them?" Tom cried, leaning over the desk. "That he wants to go back?"

"Not entirely." Lourdes shook her head. "I'm saying that he doesn't hate them. That if they got him back that he'd miss you and everyone else but he'd still be ok with them. He's on the fence in this war, both sides having something he desperately wants."

"What do the Skitters have that he wants specifically?" Ann asked, tilting her head. Clearly she didn't know that part either. It made Tom feel a little better, not being the only one lost.

"The connection. The way they talk and express themselves to each other. Feel each others' presence and comforted. Ben craves feeling the minds of the people he cares about, feeling their thought and feelings alongside his own. It's a very comforting sensation he can't get here. at least not without Rick. It troubles him a lot that he can't feel his brothers or me or you."

Sighing, Tom dropped his head into his hands. There was nothing he could do about that. There was no way to connect that intimately with his son. which meant that unless something happened to make Ben grow scared or hateful of the Skitters there was no way to counter that hold they had over him. The temptation to feel others like that and have them feel you, it had to be compelling, especially if it made them all feel as good as Lourdes suggested it did. No wonder the Skitters had no problem controlling the kids.

"It's why Ben's always trying to create a physical connection." Lourdes went on, piquing Tom's hope and curiosity. "It's as close as he can get to the connection with us. But at the same time he's hesitant, not sure if he's allowed to. He wants you to hug him and since the Skitters themselves used to do it whenever they sent a loving feeling through the connection, ruffling his hair is like patting a dog on the head and telling him he's a good boy to him. That's part of his natural mind at work Tom. Instead of just waiting for the connection to return like the hive minded would, he went searching for a substitute. He does that a lot."

"Substitute things for stuff he had in the Skitter's possession?" Tom raised an eyebrow. That could be a good thing. If Ben got attached to the substitutions, decided they were enough...

"Yeah. Take the fact that he called me sis for example." Lourdes nodded, smiling as he caught on. "He's used to being in a group consisting of one guardian and six kids. So, since you only have a total of three kids and his old group won't talk to him, he decided to make me a part of his group. I know he wants to add Rick to his circle as well, especially since he can connect to him, and I think Jimmy's his intended number six. He got excited when he met Jimmy."

"Is that why Jimmy was able to break the Skitter's control over him?" Tom asked, Lourdes' last comment in his family's room coming to the forefront of his mind. "Because Ben wants him in his group?"

"More likely because he really cares about him enough to want to call him brother." Lourdes corrected. "If the Skitter got him, they would have been connected the way Ben wants. But Ben cared enough about Jimmy to protect him from what Jimmy didn't want to happen. That's my theory anyway. Ben's already told me that he doesn't want to force anything I don't want on me, so I'm guessing it's the same."

"Ok. Ok, this is good." Tom nodded, leaning on his elbows as he processed the information. He could use that. Hal, Matt, Jimmy and Lourdes were to be protected according to Ben's mindset and he wanted to be with them. They could be used to keep Ben from going back, bring him onto their side completely. He could work with that. "Is there anything else that I should know?"

"Yes. Tom, of everyone involved with Ben, you probably have the best chance of restoring his mind." Ann stated firmly, making sure he was looking right at her before going on. "Lourdes and I have both noticed the master/servant mindset at work. Every morning, if you haven't already told Ben what to do, he asks, right?"

_Hey um, M-Dad...what am I supposed to do?_

"Yes. That's right. Although it takes a minute for him to get the question out." Tom nodded. "I always just suggest that he go read at the library."

"And that's exactly what he does. All day until you tell him it's time for dinner." Ann stated firmly, making sure Tom understood. "He's still operating with a semi hive mind. In ant colonies and bee hives, wake up, go to sleep and every action they perform throughout the day is something they've been ordered to do by the queen."

"And it's the same with the Skitters." Lourdes continued on. "And just like a soldier ant, if you don't give Ben orders, he's lost and confused, not knowing what to do. Every suggestion you give him is an order to him, his job for the day. And there lies another problem."

"What?" Tom asked worriedly. How was what he saying hurting Ben. "I only tell be he should read. He always loved reading."

"Yes, but since you only suggest that he go and read, he takes it as an order to read all day until you say otherwise." Lourdes responded. "You don't add a limit to it, so he assumes he supposed to read as much as possible, not stopping. At first he was fine with it, but as his self awareness has been reasserting itself more, he's wanted to do other things. He still likes reading, but he's hopeful that you will give him a different order and gets tired of reading. That's why whenever I'm free I bring him to you and ask if you care if he hangs out with me for the day. As much as he wanted to try new things with me, he was still compelled to do what you'd already asked of him. Your consent was like a change in orders for him."

"He's still thinking like that?" Tom cried, tears gathering at the corners of his eyes. How could he have been so blind to all this? His boy's own mind was still convinced he had to act like a slave. He didn't want that. He wanted Ben to be happy and free, not happy as his servant. The way Hal and Matt were. The way he used to be.

"He's getting better Tom." Ann said softly, rubbing his arm comfortingly as he rested his head on her shoulder and let the tears fall. "He's learning. It's not just substitution he's rediscovering. He's remembered compromise too."

"What do you mean?" He asked, not quite succeeding to hold back a sob.

"You told him to read again today, and as much as he didn't want to, he was compelled to go to the library again." She started, altering herself so his head rested more comfortably and her hand could rub circles into his back. "But he wanted to see if I was ok after the Russel scenario. So, since you only said to go to read at the library and nothing more, he decided to take the long way and stop by the clinic on the way."

"So he's still making progress?" Tom's face was wet, but hopeful as he stared up at the girls and happiness surged through every inch of him as they nodded. Ben was getting better on his own. He was coming back. Maybe with a little help, he'd get his son back to normal in no time. "What can I do?" He asked. He'd do anything to speed up the process. Anything for his boy.

"Understand what he still needs and help ween him back to complete individuality." Lourdes answered. "He still needs you to give him orders. Activities." She amended at the frown growing on Tom's face. "If you don't he'll stay lost, confused, panicked and do nothing."

"But when he does ask for something to do, make more than one suggestion." Ann added. "I only know what Lourdes has told me and what I've seen from their conversations on this topic, but it's the best option to start with. His mind should take it as he has a choice between which order to follow. Adding a time limit like 'read for a couple of hours' might be a good idea too, so he doesn't feel that he's stuck only following the one job all day. That he can do all of your suggestions. It's a little out of his comfort zone and will probably confuse him a little at first, but he should be able to adjust to it easily enough and when he does, you take it a step further."

"Which would be?" Tom asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Giving him more freedom." Lourdes answered.

"Right. You ask him what he feels like doing and use his answers to 'give him commands'. When he's grown used to that, just tell him to let you know what he plans to do. From there, he'll probably turn into a normal teenager and just do what he feels like on his own."

"Haha! It's hard to believe that my old issue with Hal is exactly what I'm hoping to get out of Ben." Tom laughed, despite himself. At the end of the day, he was encouraging Ben's freedom and hoping he'd become a rebellious teenager. Not exactly what most parents hope for.

"Or he might decide to end halfway between that and your last step. It depends on him at that point." Lourdes said lightly. "Oh yeah, and remember to encourage him to ask questions. He's always unsure whether or not he's allowed to. It'll help speed up his recovery if we know what he's thinking."

"Ok, I can do that. But now we've got one more small problem no one's mentioned." Tom stated, calming back down, a bit of worry coming back to his face. "How can I start any of this if I'm separated from Ben for the next few days? If he needs me to give him the ok to do anything, what's going to happen to him while we're separated?" He didn't want to risk Ben's wellbeing mentally anymore than he did physically. If what all Lourdes and Ann had told him was true then the separation with no orders could leave him vulnerable to lingering Skitter influences. He couldn't let that happen.

"Tell him to listen to me or Hal." Lourdes responded immediately. "As his older siblings, and with your order, he'd listen to us. When you give the ok for him to hang out with me, he does whatever I suggest. Just tell him to listen to one of us until you two meet up again."

"Ok, sounds good. But please don't tell me there's any more?" He was ready to drop onto his knees and beg for that one. What he'd been told was more than he'd feared already and while the doctors had plenty of reassuring observations and a fairly simple plan to help Ben through, he couldn't handle any more.

"No, that's everything." Ann responded kindly, Lourdes nodding in agreement. "Mentally anyway. But the physical stuff's more intriguing than worrisome. Like how his hearing has been enhanced and he's faster than anyone else in the Second Mass. They would probably be considered desirable advantages in this world. they could save his life."

"So the claims that he shattered someone's wrists..."

"Yeah. The guy would not shut up about it." Ann rolled her eyes, blatantly annoyed by the memory. "Considering he created that problem himself, I'm not very sympathetic."

"I've got to pay more attention. I think I'll start right now, see how he's going. It feels weird that I've technically left Matt in charge of his brothers anyway." Tom smiled, chuckling as the image of Matt tucking Ben into bed and barking orders at Hal crossed his mind. it was a pretty amusing prospect, a feeling that Ann and Lourdes proved to share as they laughed at their own painted images. "I'll see you both in the morning."

"Goodnight Tom." Ann nodded as he headed for the exit. He let a small grin cross his face as he lingered by the door, watching the strongest woman he'd ever met get back to work before heading back to his boys.

Like before, he was still far beyond stunned at just how much he'd missed and was secretly glad that he had few days to get his head around it all. There was so much that he'd missed that he felt nothing short of ashamed of himself. He almost cried again as it hit home just how little attention he'd been paying to his boys. Hal was fine, he was always beside him. he'd been there for Hal in every way every step of the way, even if he didn't know how to handle it properly. But the other two were another story. He was always away, doing everything to keep them and everyone else safe physically, but clearly he hadn't been paying nearly enough attention to them mentally or emotionally. He was gone too much and wrapped up in the war even when he was around. He had to fix that. And he would. As soon as they were reunited at Sanctuary he'd make sure he was there for them all.

Walking back into his family's room, he stopped in the doorway and smiled. Two of the cots had been pushed together and laying on them were all three of his boys fast asleep and content with both his youngest and oldest having at least an arm wrapped around Ben, Matt using Ben's shoulder as a pillow and Hal keeping just enough distance between them so as not to be pierced by Ben's spikes. Sitting down beside them, Tom felt his eyes water again as his heart filled with happiness and pride.

His boys comforted and looked out for each other when he couldn't. For all their old arguments, for all the problems each of them had, for all the headaches and stress each one seemed to enjoy giving him, Tom could never ask for better sons.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

"I don't want to go. I want to stay with Dad." The complaints had been coming nonstop all morning, much to Hal's chagrin. Matt was even more against the plan than the bald guy who'd spent the last twenty minutes alternating from reassuring his daughter that he'd see her soon to going on about how ridiculous it was that he had to stay behind while his daughter was led right through dangerous territory. A complaint more than a few civilian parents had made only to be rebutted. If they came along, the group would be significantly bigger and more noticeable. More likely to be attacked.

It didn't stop them or Matt from complaining the whole way though and Hal was clearly getting annoyed.

Ben however, wasn't annoyed by them in the slightest. On the contrary, he kept staring back at the school longingly, desperately hoping that his father would walk out with a bag of his own. The idea of being that far away from his dad and for so long almost had him hyperventilating. He still hadn't quite figured out how he'd handled it before being connected, not that it had happened much. He'd only had two siblings that fought with him every day and very few friends, all of whom loved their computers more than life. Who was there to go out with?

"It will only be for a few days, don't be so fussy." Lourdes chided playfully as she walked up to the brothers. Ben's eyes light up the moment he noticed her and his smile grew huge as he noticed Jimmy right at her side.

"Sis! Hey b-Jimmy. Are you all good after..." Ben asked, though he grew less excited and more quiet and nervous as Jimmy shivered, turning nervous eyes anywhere but at Ben.

"Yeah. I'm fine." He nodded a little hoarsely, deciding the ground was a great place to look. "I...I just wanted to say...thank you. For...helping me."

"You're welcome." Grinning shyly, Ben let his eye peek at Lourdes to make sure he was doing this right before focusing entirely on the brunette. A nearly overwhelming urge to be able to look right into Jimmy's deep blue eyes was only contained by the fact that he knew that neither dad or Jimmy would approve of him forcing the younger team's head up. He wanted to see the eyes he'd seen yesterday, the first time. Maybe a little annoyed, but still open, accepting, without any sign of hate or malice. He wanted that feeling Jimmy had given him back at its full extent, the happiness and increased beating of his heart. It made him nervous, but it felt nice too. "I was happy to help."

"Nice to know." Jimmy muttered a little shortly, causing Hal's face to grow a little guarded and Ben to frown, slightly hurt. Jimmy himself flinch. Clearly he hadn't intended for it to come out that way. "Sorry. I gotta go."

"Ok. See you later?" Ben almost whimpered, only causing Jimmy to flinch again, allowing Ben to actually get a glimpse of his face and only growing more upset. Jimmy's emotions were clear as day, a strong mix or guilt and, more horribly for Ben, fear.

"Yeah. No doubt." A slight sting started forming in Ben's eyes as Jimmy took off, his pace noticeably fast. The way he'd said that made it sound like he was dreading it. Jimmy didn't really want to be around him.

"Did I do something wrong?" He asked, watching on like a kicked puppy as Jimmy pushed his way hastily through the crowd.

"No. He's just being a jerk." Hal replied, glaring at Jimmy's back.

"Hal, be nice." Lourdes scolded, hitting his arm as she sidled up to Ben and coaxed him into leaning on her. "He's just shaken up from last night. It's a lot to handle and it hasn't even been twelve hours since it happened. Give him some time. He did ask me to come over here with him, I didn't force him. His thank you was genuine and entirely of his own desire. He likes you well enough, he's just scared right now. He'll come around."

"Ok. I hope you're right."

"She usually is." Ben's sadness was easy enough to suppress as Tom's warm, light hearted voice had him turning around, a silent command as far as he was concerned. Though, his disappointment grew clear for all to see when he noticed Tom had nothing but a gun slung over his back.

"You really want us to leave you?" He muttered, biting his lip as his eyes travelled to the ground. A deep ache in his chest, as painful as the one Jimmy wanting to get away from him caused, if not bigger, made it hard to breathe and almost had him crying again as it brought back another feeling. The sense of being abandoned, exiled, had the memories of the last two Skitters to touch his mind coming right to the forefront of his mind. Specifically, the sheer pain and grief of their final moments and the emptiness left behind. It felt just as horrible to be exiled by his father, even without the connection to his mind. He could already feel himself starting to shut down, only to awaken at the command of a new master and would have completely if it wasn't for something else inside of him.

The human part of him that demanded he be in control. The part of him he knew his dad and siblings wanted to bring out. He'd fought hard to do just that and it was paying off. He was beginning to defy some of what Lourdes called his harness based instincts. Hal called the particular part of him that was fighting the urge to turn catatonic his world class stubbornness. Lourdes would have called it hope. Ben had a feeling it was both.

That part of him got all the help it needed not a second later. Taking a large step forward, Tom grabbed Ben by the shoulders and pulled him into a tight hug, making sure to ruffle his hair as he directed the boy's head to his shoulder.

"It's only for a few days. We'll be together again soon." He promised, adjusting his arms more comfortably around Ben's spikes and rubbing his back. "I worked too hard and too long to get you back to ever let you go for long ever again. Trust me Ben. I love you."

"Love you too." He muttered, pulling away to look Tom in the eyes. "More than you'll ever know." They said simultaneously, resulting in a snort from Ben, a chuckle from Tom and a range of smiles and giggles from the other three watching.

"Ben..." Tom started as he calmed, only to stop with a slight frown, his eyes flickering to Lourdes once or twice. Used to the look, Ben chose to stay silent. His dad wanted to say something, but wasn't confident with his wording. He remembered that normally he would have tried to say it for him, making it easier and removing any doubt that he'd take it the wrong way, but back then he always had an idea what the topic was. This time, it seemed to be coming completely out of the blue.

"While you're at Sanctuary. That is, until we're together again..." He tried, forever flicking his eyes back and forth from him and Lourdes. It looked to Ben like he was trying to get her approval or something. In the end however, he just sighed, something that Ben registered as Tom's 'I'm just gonna go for it and please don't freak out on me' warning. "I want you to do all you can to enjoy yourself." He stated, confusing Ben. That was far from what he expected and he didn't have a clue what to make of that order.

_Um, yes you do._ Another, more hidden part of his brain that he'd dubbed 'old me' retorted. He could almost imagine his old, geeky, fully human self giving him a 'don't be a retard' look. _Books, games, that sort of stuff?_

"As long as it's something your older siblings approve of, it has my consent. Lourdes and Hal know everything I would be happy to have you do." He added quickly, flinching slightly at a sharp, fierce look he was getting from Lourdes. Ben had a feeling Tom had just done something wrong.

But, he didn't care. The second part made a lot more sense to him. The confusion and stress was completely gone as the unsaid meaning to Tom's words registered in his head. His older siblings were going to take care of him until they were together again. They were in charge. It still struck him as unusual to have a sibling in command of his circle, but his pre-harnessed memories were quick to remind him that it was quite normal with humans. Hal had been 'in charge' many times before, though most of his commands had been 'go away' and were quite happily ignored.

"Wait, ignored?" Frowning, he turned to stare curiously at his big brother, only to get a confused look from everyone in return.

"No one said ignored Ben." Hal commented questioningly.

"I know, it's just that-"

"Come on everyone, we're moving out!" Ben was cut off as Clayton waved his arms, already heading up the path and waving for the kids to follow.

"Take care of each other." Tom said softly, looking each of his boys over before pulling Matt into a hug and patting Hal on the back. He spared Lourdes a caring smile as they started walking and although Ben could see that she was still very annoyed about whatever he'd done wrong before, he still got reassuring smile in return before she headed off.

"Why are you suddenly so irritated with Dad?" Hal asked, piquing Ben's own curiosity. Though, Ben had to admit that he was more preoccupied by both comforting Matt as best he could and by his happiness at the fact that they'd somehow ended up right behind Jimmy. What made that even better and more distracting was that though he'd noticed them and tensed a bit, he hadn't pulled ahead and away like Ben had expected.

"He went further than he was supposed to. The lost look Ben gave him was plenty of proof that he's not ready for such a vague order as Tom gave him." Lourdes whispered as softly as she could in response, moving her head close to his ear. No one else was supposed to hear, but Ben doubted that there were any secrets in the entire regiment that he didn't know about.

He clearly wasn't the only one to hear either, for at that moment, Rick turned back with a curious look on his face, a shock to Ben, but clearly even more so to his father standing beside him. Ben had finally got a glimpse of the boy like him as they'd gathered, but he'd been on the other side of the gathering and practically glued to his father's side. He didn't get to talk to him at all, but had had easily noticed that cold, emotionless look on his face and he had heard from multiple sources that it was basically permanent, along with a cold attitude. To see him grow curious seemed to have his dad thrown for a complete, astounded, loop.

"What's up Ricky? Something catch your eye?' Mike asked, leaning down to his boy's face. Getting no response, he followed Rick's line of sight and frowned slightly when he found the soft talking teens. That was all Ben caught however, because at that moment, Rick altered his view until he was looking Ben right in the eyes.

Ben's own eyes widened as a pleasant shock ran from his spikes and through his body until it found the static-like noise in his head. As soon as it touched, it was like his mind had just dropped every wall it had and opened up, allowing Rick right in.

"Ben? Are you ok?" Matt asked, his voice thick with worry and drawing the panicked attention of Jimmy, Lourdes and Hal and fear from everyone else around them as his breathing became laboured, though his older siblings calmed down a little as a smile grew on his face.

Everyone else's fear grew however, as his spikes started to glow, Mike crying out as Rick's did the same simultaneously. But Ben didn't pay any attention, he was far to consumed with the situation in his head to care about anything else. The sensation of touching another mind and not having to worry about the safety of his family alone had sent more waves of happiness through his being then he ever thought possible. He could feel it from Rick too. However, it was quickly forgotten as exactly what Rick was feeling underneath it made its way to the front of Ben's mind. A deep sadness and longing for the Skitters pelted him hard and he almost shivered as he felt Rick's resentment for the humans. His fellow Razorback, as many people had taken to calling him, was miserable.

_It'll be ok_. He thought, walking through the group of kids and stunned Clayton until he was right in front of Rick. Rick didn't respond with words, on the contrary, he seemed a little annoyed that Ben used them at all, though he got over it quickly. Instead, Rick opted for the Skitters' way of communicating, emphasising specific emotions, images and desires through their connection. In this case, Ben felt a surge of impatience and longing as an image of Rick and Ben standing on either side of a Skitter with their harnesses back on their backs crossed his mind.

This was dangerous. Ben knew that in an instant, when the image brought up one of his own. Or rather, an extended version of Rick's. It was the same scene, only in his fantasy, Jimmy, Hal, Lourdes and Matt were right there alongside them. He could feel Rick's approval as he saw it and a feeling Ben identified as a silent promise to satisfy Ben's desire, something that Ben shivered at as both hope and self-directed anger consumed him.

"Um, boys? We should keep moving now." Clayton called softly, turning slightly pale at the sight before him. The boys ignored him, choosing to send waves of comfort to each other, trying to calm each of their raging storms. It was only a moment later that they closed the small gap still between them and leaned their foreheads together, each one raising a hand to rub the back of each other's head. Ben knew he must of sounded pretty silly, but he didn't care as he purred and moaned. Lourdes and the others' shows of affection were great, but nothing compared to the mental and physical combination that came with the harness and the pleasure was only doubled when Rick's own enjoyment mixed with his.

"Ricky? Come on son, we've got to keep moving." Mike's voice sounded more concerned than the fearful looks of the guards and kids, as was perfectly acceptable from a father, but even he didn't try to pull Rick away. To be honest, as much as what was happening was worrying him, he just didn't have the heart to wipe the first happy look he'd seen on Rick's face in over six months off his face.

_We need to go back._ Ben was shocked right into silence as Rick actually used human language to communicate, not that he was sure why. _Our kind need us. And we will never have what we lost unless we get our harnesses back._

Ben felt as if a bucket of ice water had been thrown at him at that moment, for just as Rick finished talking, he'd let the connection drop himself, albeit he'd made sure that they were able to hear each other much better than they could that morning. Suddenly, he was focusing solely on the world around him, whimpering at the loss. Rick merely let a trend thread of sympathy and understanding pass into him before letting Mike guide him away, his face turning blank again much to Mike's disappointment.

"Come on Ben." Hal muttered softly from behind him, placing a firm hand on his shoulder and guiding him forward. "We can't stand around here all day."

Nodding, Ben did as he said, only to grow confused by just how much space there was between him and everyone else. Looking around, he couldn't help the hurt he felt as the other kids watched his every move with fearful faces, none of them daring to get within three feet of him. Some had looks of open hostility that he'd seen on the faces of people declaring he was a traitorous Razorback and even his...old group was looking at him as if what he'd just done was horrific. It only hurt even more as he noticed Jimmy doing much the same, though he stood a little closer and something else was flickering across his face, trying to break through his fear. But whatever it was, Ben couldn't read it and it made any benefit it might have been null and void.

"Hey Ben? Could you light up those spikes more often? At night? They'd make it a lot easier to see through the dark." Matt asked, bounding right up in front of Ben and looking up at him with wide, hopeful eyes. It didn't fool Ben for a minute, he could see that even Matt was a little worried, but he smiled down anyway.

"Sorry Matt, I don't know how to make them light up. They do it on their own accord." Matt just shrugged and leaned into Ben's side, almost making Hal snort as he stared challengingly around at the other kids. Even Ben found the humour in it, being protected by and eight year old was kind of funny. Though, it was probably the fact that Hal was no doubt staring darkly along with him that got the other kids to keep their mouths shut and move on. You just don't mess with the tall, dark fighter with an automatic rifle strapped to his back.

Jimmy however, seemed to be the exception to rule. While the others merely picked up their pace and followed Clayton into the trees, something that confused Hal, he moved closer to Ben, though the distance kept between them was painfully noticeable to the sad and hurt blond. Still, he could still feel his lips spread into a small, shy and hopeful grin when he noticed.

"You um...you were listening to Rick, weren't you?" He asked a little shakily, keeping his voice quiet and his face pointing straight ahead. Again, it caused a mixed reaction of happiness and disappointment in Ben, but Jimmy was talking to him and as long as the boy was, he was going to do everything he could to keep it going.

"Yeah, sort of. But he wasn't controlling me or anything." He added hastily as he noticed Jimmy start to tense and wracked his brain for a more human explanation. He thanked whoever was listening that he was a nerd, it only took a few seconds. "It was more like the theoretical twin connection. Or telepathy and empathy. I was feeling his emotions, thoughts and mental images while sharing mine. Then I was trying to comfort him while he was doing the same thing for me. It's a really pleasant experience and the more people involved, the happier and more pleasurable it becomes."

"It's pleasurable to have the overloading feelings of five people in one head?" Jimmy raised a sceptical eyebrow. Ben however, took it as a victory. While he clearly didn't agree with Ben's point of view, the fear and nervousness was gone, or at least temporarily forgotten. He was even looking at him now. "I think it's a lot more likely to make your head explode."

"No, normally people connected are feeling more or less the same thing." Ben replied. "When I was happy, everyone was happy. When I was confused, everyone else was confused too. Then one of us would start soothing us and their serene mood would settle ours into something similar. So it's like feeling what you're feeling multiplied by the number of people connected and in range."

"Because one mind would be controlling the others and deciding what they felt." Jimmy muttered, saddening Ben as his face grew dark. Ben wasn't sure what he'd done wrong. "One mind, the Skitter no doubt, overwhelms the other minds and has them think and feel like them. The kids don't even realise that they're being controlled."

"No, it's not...I mean they don't..." Ben's panicked voice couldn't keep a sentence going as what Jimmy said hit home. He couldn't even find a way to deny it. One mind, stronger than his, had always guided them into a specific mindset. Other emotions were there, but always suppressed by the dominant one. And now that he thought about it, connecting with Rick had been the strangest sensation the connection had ever given him. He couldn't remember ever feeling someone with such a strong, different set of emotions from his own. One or two differences had always appeared before, but they'd always be small and suppressed again quickly as the others would send waves of comfort to the troubled mind, guide them back to happiness. But Rick...while there had been similarities, like both of them longing for the connection and a similar thinking pattern, Rick's opinion and attitude toward anything involving humans had caused his emotions and desires to swerve so far from Ben's that it had felt a little crowded in his head. Suddenly he could see what Jimmy meant before. If there were seven minds like that, he'd never be able to handle it. And the Skitters couldn't let that happen, so they... "They controlled what we felt." He muttered, shocked and unsure how to take it. It felt like a punch to the gut if he was honest with himself and he couldn't help but grow a little angry. He didn't like the idea of others controlling his emotions. Comforting and soothing was one thing, but total control over what he felt was crossing the line. He could feel Rick's disapproval at his Skitter directed anger, but he didn't care. He had every right to be angry.

"Rick can't do that right?" Jimmy asked, suddenly growing nervous again as Ben openly glared at everything around him. "Or you? You guys can't control the other's mind?"

"No. Without the harness, neither of us is nearly strong enough." Ben's voice came out hard and cold. It was enough to send shivers down the spines of everyone listening. "And without them on us, not even the Skitters can get that kind of control, otherwise you, Rick and I would be with them right now. Unless I'm willing, only the masters of the Skitters themselves have any chance of controlling me in any way."

"Oh. Good. We'll um, just keep you away from Skitter Generals then." Jimmy nodded hesitantly. To busy growling under his breath, Ben never noticed Jimmy turning his head to look right at him. Nor did he notice Jimmy's rising hand. It came as quite a surprise to him when he felt a reassuring pressure settle just above his elbow, even if it did only stay there for a few seconds.

"Um...don't worry about it too much." He said nervously as he pulled his hand back, suddenly very interested in the trees ahead of him again. "You're with us now. We respect free will. Just don't let them control you and you'll be fine." With that, he forced himself to look at Ben one more time and offered a shaky smile before pulling ahead and through a pair of girls that had been whispering about them the whole time they'd been talking.

Frowning slightly, Ben couldn't help the growing confusion as he evaluated how he felt. Normally something like that would make one dominant emotion, in this case, the happy warmth Jimmy's words sent into his face, would overlap and suppress the old dominant emotion, if not remove it completely. However, much like his emotions tugging against Rick's he felt conflicted as both his happiness and anger fought for dominance, leaving him lost in the middle ground with a growing headache. Unable to shake off his anger and not wanting to lose the feeling jimmy had given him, he settled for being a little annoyed and letting his little brother distract him from it. He'd talk to Lourdes about it later for sure. Maybe Hal too, he knew Hal was coming along solely because he wanted to be there for his brothers, it wouldn't be right to leave him out. Besides, of all his siblings, Hal was by far the hardest to connect to and spend time with.

_Maybe I should go to him first. Ask Lourdes if he can't give me the answer. Or ask them together._ He thought, watching both of them and getting questioning looks in return. Remembering what Lourdes said about keeping harness related things quiet, he just mouthed later. He'd already screwed up the secrecy thing when he was talking to Jimmy. He'd been too excited that Jimmy was talking to him again that he'd forgotten all about filtering what he said. It was probably better that he said all that anyway, considering that they'd seen something very harness related, but that only made it even more important to ask about his mind in private. Best not to make it any worse.

_At least I got another brother out of it._ He thought with a small grin as he walked on, his steps starting to grow a little merry as more of the day's positive points accumulated in his head. He didn't need the image Rick sent or his approval of Ben's to know that Rick saw him the same way. He'd felt it. Which meant that he was only one sibling away from having a full circle again and Jimmy seemed to be getting closer to taking the position. _Yeah._ He decided. _Today's looking promising._


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

The sun had barely risen as Jimmy walked out the door, sighing as the cool air touched his exposed skin. Sleep had grown to be quite a problem. Normally he needed someone to coax him up if he ever hoped to be up and about before nine, but now every time he closed his eyes he saw the terrifying Skitter trapping him or a random jumble of the expressions he'd seen Ben point his way, from the emotionless, controlled appearance to the hurt look he got whenever Jimmy pulled away from him. If he wasn't waking up in terror, he was overwhelmed with guilt.

_He saved me. I should only feel gratitude._ He thought irritably, ignoring the eyes he could feel burning into his back as he headed for the trees. Finding a large one with relatively soft bark, he lowered himself against and closed his eyes, letting the morning rays hit his face as he fought with himself.

He liked Ben. The boy who'd crashed into him was shy, but Jimmy had quickly noticed a kind, hopeful nature to him that he'd associated with a puppy. There was nothing there for Jimmy to hate or distrust. The walk to Sanctuary had further established those qualities. Personally, he'd found it weird that anyone still had that innocence, but he liked it. It made him feel more at ease, more hopeful himself.

However, his association with the Skitter kept messing with his head. For everything Ben was, the Skitter had been able to take it all away in an instant. The look on Ben's face when he'd first entered the room terrified him even more than the Skitter had. The bright face he'd seen before was emotionally dead. It was an example of his own future. No sign of emotion, no hint of free will and a very real presence of danger. Even before Ben had done a thing, without noticing his glowing spikes, Jimmy could tell that Ben was dangerous.

_Then he saved me._ He reminded himself again, this time more forcefully. He'd watched as the emotions had returned to Ben's face. Worry and fear before they were replaced with determination. And that was when he saw just how powerful Ben was. Strong enough to stun a Skitter where no one had ever even managed to make them flinch without at least a good rifle before. And even while carry Jimmy, he was faster than even an Olympic gold medallist could ever hope to be. But this time, it didn't scare him. On the contrary, it amazed him. Ben was using all that power, risking his own life, to help him. Even when the Skitter got in too far and stopped him, despite how sick he looked, he still tried to shield Jimmy.

"I shouldn't have any problem with him. The controlling thing was just a slip up." He grumbled as he threw his head into his hands, angry at himself. Lourdes mentioned it when he'd asked her to come with him to see the Masons and he remembered every word of his conversation with the blonde. But no matter what he did, he just couldn't separate Ben from the Skitter in his mind and it was hurting him. It wasn't fair to Ben, who already had far too many people being cruel and hostile toward him, but what could he do?

"Talk to him." He decided, ignoring the butterflies the idea set off in his stomach. "Get to know him more. Give myself more reasons to disconnect him from the Skitter. I mean, he chose to run away from it, save me from it. He's a decent person. I'll just talk to him, try to get used to the spikes." _And ignore that he likes that connection thing._ He added silently, not feeling nearly confident enough to say it. It was one piece of evidence that could be used to enhance his fears and he knew that he was being watched. He didn't want that information falling into the wrong hands and getting Ben hurt. He didn't know the soldiers there, didn't know what they'd do. He only knew that they were already leery of his spikes.

Scratching at his neck, Jimmy couldn't help the slight chuckle that left his throat. For so long now, all he'd ever known was fighting or preparing to fight again. He couldn't remember the last time an individual had held his attention for so long. Or the last time he'd been so keen to make a friend.

...

"Did you sleep well Math Geek?" Hal called teasingly as he stepped onto the balcony, ignoring the stiffs with rifles glaring at everything around them. He'd been a fair bit worried when he'd woken to find Ben's place in the room empty. Ben somehow still managed to wake up before everyone else, despite how much the soldier life had altered his and his father's sleeping habits, but he usually simply sat on his bed until everyone else woke up. However, a quick run-in with Clayton had quickly dealt with that.

"Of course I did." Ben replied casually, not bothering to turn and face him. "Dumb jock?" he added a moment later, his voice giving away his confused frown, as if he wasn't quite sure that was right.

Snorting amusedly, Hal stepped right up beside the middle Mason and leaned on the railing, taking in the view. "Yeah, that's what you used to call me. I know I'm gonna regret saying this, but I actually kinda missed it."

"I'll be sure to remember that, don't worry." Ben grinned, looking quite happy with himself as he spared Hal a glance. "Shouldn't you still be asleep? You never get up nearly this early unless you have sentry duty."

"You actually asked me a question. And without stuttering for five minutes. Maybe there's hope for you yet." Hal smirked, playfully punching Ben in the arm. "But I could ask you the same thing. I just felt like rising."

"I don't need as much sleep as humans do." Ben shrugged. "Sorry if I wasn't supposed to leave the room. I just had a lot on my mind. Jimmy's out there by the way." He added, pointing to a figure sitting under a tree. Judging from the slight haste in his voice, Hal guessed that he'd said it to explain why he felt it was ok to leave, which was fine with Hal.

He was a little more concerned with how the soldiers were tensing at Ben's statement. One of them spared the oblivious blond a very dark look while the other subconsciously tightened his grip on his gun.

_Not the best choice of words Ben._ He thought as glared hard at each of them. If they tried to so much as touch Ben...

"Hey, Hal?" The hesitant, tentative tone brought his full attention right back to his brother. He smiled fondly as he found Ben gnawing at the side of his lip, something Ben had been doing since he was a toddler whenever he got nervous. "I wanted to...ask you something."

"Ask away." He shrugged widely. "You've already asked me something two minutes ago, why worry this time?"

"This one's about me." Was Ben's response, immediately sobering Hal. That meant that it was something harness related. If he'd just wanted confirmation about what his favourite class was back at school or something, he wouldn't be nearly as nervous.

"Ok, hit me." He responded, sparing time to give both fighters a warning glare before turning back to Ben as welcomingly as he could.

"Yesterday, while I was talking to Jimmy." He started, turning back to the view. Hal could tell the exact moment that his eyes locked onto Jimmy."I felt happy and angry at the same time. At different things. It confused me."

"Well, that is an unusual combination, but how did that confuse you?" He frowned, not sure where this was going.

"Because one didn't remove the other." Ben answered, frowning hard. It was a look Hal knew well. It was a look he'd had focused on him far too often for his pride to take it. Ben knew exactly what he wanted to say, but he couldn't figure out how to make Hal understand it. In the old days, it had always been a blow to his ego, a reminder that despite being younger than him, Ben was so much smarter. Now it was a slap in the face to see because it meant he was trying to cross a line between Skitter knowledge and understanding to human. "I...normally one dominant emotion would remove another. I would only really feel one thing at a time. The other emotions were there for a little while, but they were at the back of my head, barely noticed and paid no attention. But yesterday, I felt two things dominantly and I couldn't suppress either. Is that normal?"

"Yes." Hal nodded, replaying yesterday's events in his head. He'd listened in to every bit of Ben and Jimmy's conversation. He knew why this was confusing to Ben now. Ben had gone with another controlling his emotions and fixing a specific dominant one in place the whole time he was harnessed. This confusion was another by-product of switching from hive mind simplicity to individual complexity. And Ben hadn't been in a situation with polar opposites like happiness and anger occurring at the same time before. He'd only experienced the more compatible combinations. "Humans are always feeling multiple emotions at various degrees at the same time. It's perfectly normal."

"Oh good." Ben's body visibly relaxed at that, smiling thankfully. "I thought something might be wrong with me."

"Meh, you were half right. You were always a weirdo." Hal smirked, only to sober as he noticed Ben looking a little down. "Sorry, just teasing." He mumbled, pulling his brother close as he mentally kicked himself. For a moment he'd slipped back to his old behaviour with Ben. He'd forgotten that he had to be mindful of just how literal Ben was taking his words.

"We did that a lot, didn't we?" He muttered, relaxing instantly into his brother's side, the upsetment at the comment already gone. "Tease each other. Fight. I even...took pride in ignoring your commands." He added, confused, both about why he'd do it and why he'd be proud of it.

"All the time." Hal chuckled, more than one of their old arguments coming to mind. No topic was ever safe. "I'm surprised we didn't send our parents to a mental ward, especially Mom. A normal person would have snapped and tried to kill us years ago."

"I used to defy every command you gave me." Ben said again, his confusion growing more clearly on his face. "You were in charge. Why would I do that? Why was I always proud of it? I mean that's...unthinkable. Punishable. I don't understand why I'd ever..."

"Ben, you're a teenager. Even back then." Hal responded with a smirk. "We're rebellious by nature. You always did what Dad told you to do, even if you complained about it here and there, but you two were far too alike for you to be really rebellious with him. me on the other hand, we're brothers who easily got frustrated with each other. We were both quite happy to cause each other grief. Besides, defiance isn't always a bad thing." He added, waving his hands around them. "Look at the resistance. If we didn't defy and fight the Skitters, we'd all be either dead or harnessed. Our defiance of them has kept us alive. "

"So...it's ok to be defiant if you have a good reason?" Ben asked, mulling the concept over.

"Yeah. And back then, you deemed irritating me to be a good enough reason, as all brothers tend to do." Hal nodded with a laugh. "That went both ways you know. Or are you forgetting all the times you yelled at me to get out of your room?"

"No, you'd usually walk further in and threaten to damage my books."

"Exactly. That was your room, you had all the right to it and I had none. I defied you." Hal nodded. Looking up, he was happy to see that the soldiers had taken off around the corner or down below. It was just him and Ben now, something that hadn't happened since long before the invasion. And even longer since they weren't spending that time fighting.

"Hal." Ben started, a slight stutter passing through his voice as he pulled away and looked Hal right in the eye. "Brother. Thank you."

"For what?" Hal asked, a little confused himself now, but at the same time elated. He seriously had no idea when Ben had said that to him. It had been years. Unless you counted sarcasm.

"For...bringing me home." Was his response. Looking into Ben's green orbs, Hal found himself absolutely astounded as those words crossed his lips. His eyes showed more gratitude, more affection and more warmth than he'd ever seen from either of his brothers. It was the same look Tom gave them, especially Ben and Matt. Hal tended to get more pride filled stares.

The look filled Hal with happiness and released all of his anxieties. It was more relieving than he could ever put into words. He knew that Ben still cared about the Skitters, was hurt when two he was connected to died. He'd been afraid that Ben resented him a bit for not only taking him from them, but actually killing his Skitter himself. Ben had plenty of grounds to hate him, in saving him he'd caused Ben a lot of pain. But here he was, thanking him, giving him a look that he'd thought only their father could ever pull off.

Feeling his eyes stinging with tears he refused to let Ben see, he smiled brightly and pulled Ben right back in for a tight hug, making sure to ruffle his hair the way Matt had shown him and chuckling as Ben purred against him.

"You're welcome little brother."

...

A large smile had been stuck on Ben's face for over an hour as he watched the other kids kicking a ball around. By the time everyone was up and about, practically everyone below twenty had gathered in the yard and stared a _long_ game of soccer, Sanctuary versus the Second Mass. The game was mostly one sided, not that it was much of a surprise with Sanctuary's side consisting of mostly older kids as opposed to the 2nd's variety of age groups, but it still proved to be entertaining for all.

"Go Jimmy!" He called excitedly as the younger boy bobbed and weaved right through opposing team, never once losing the ball. The kid was probably the most talented player on the field, skilfully altering the ball's direction at the last second whenever someone tried to swipe it. Ben couldn't help the slight bit of envy that mixed with his excitement a the sight. Jimmy made it look easy, effortless. Something that Ben was fully aware was misleading. He'd always had two left feet. Before he buried himself in learning and following his father's footsteps, he'd always been miserable that nothing he did ever made him any more than pathetic at every sport. The fact that Jimmy was a pro only made him like jimmy even more. Maybe he could teach him. Hal never could, not that he tried very hard.

A thrilled cheer left his throat as Jimmy, blocked, kicked the ball back behind him right in time for Hal run up and boot it over everyone's heads and right between the goal posts. It was the first goal they'd made all day. The score was still against them, 8-1, but it still was enough for the 2nd Mass kids to get excited.

"Come on guys, we can win this yet." Hal called with a smirk, waving his cheering team back to their side and patting Jimmy on the back as he passed by.

"Sanctuary eight, Second Mass one? Somehow, I doubt that." A girl retorted with a smile as she walked to the middle of the field, ball in hand, getting a little closer to Hal than most would. Through the corner of his eye, Ben couldn't help but notice Lourdes tense a little in response. No one else would have caught anything passed the slight frown on her face, but Ben's eyes captured every, jealous twitch her body made, even without focusing on her.

"That may be true Tess, but there's one thing you gotta know about us." Hal smirked playfully back.

"And what would that be?"

"We don't give up."

"Hal's oblivious." Ben grinned as Lourdes made herself known, pulling Hal back into position. "Tessa wants him as her mate and hasn't got the slightest clue."

"He's not the only one oblivious." Rick muttered beside him, causing mixed feelings from Mike. Hal had given Ben the option to either play soccer or hang out with Rick. Seeing as all the other kids were afraid of him and he'd spent so little time with his fellow Razorback, he chose to watch the game with Rick and his dad. It had felt strange having a choice, but he'd found that he liked it. It felt strangely normal to him and less demanding.

"What do you mean?" Ben asked, turning to him with a confused frown. The question was apparently considered stupid by Rick. Ben could feel the emotional equivalent of an eye roll in his head.

"I mean that you're actually oblivious to your own feelings." Was Rick's verbal answer, only confusing Ben even more. '_You have your own desire for a mate and don't even realise it.'_

"I want a mate?" He cried, flabbergasted, startling Mike and the nearest kids and getting scared, confused looks in return. That couldn't be right. The only females he'd had any real contact with were Lourdes and Ann. Maybe Maggie could be considered, seeing she wasn't usually that far behind his dad and brother, but he knew for a fact that he had no interest in mating with any of them. Hell, his dad wanted one of them and another wanted Hal. Even if he was interested, they'd be off limits to him. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Like I said. Oblivious." This time Rick actually did roll his eyes, though Ben could sense his annoyance at falling into a human habit.

"Ok, so who is this apparently infatuating object of my desire?" He demanded, raising a challenging eyebrow. And felt his heart rate increase as Rick sent a very familiar image into his head. Pink dusted his cheeks long before he'd even noticed, he was too lost at the sight before his mind's eye. It knocked him for a loop, completely confused him, but what surprised him even more was that he couldn't find it in him to deny it. It defied every piece of logic in his head, both human and Skitter, but something inside him was telling him that it was correct anyway. That Rick was right, this person was at least becoming desirable to him. that he was drawn to him.

"Um, hey Ben? Why don't you come play?" Shaking his head clear, the blond Razorback looked up to find that very person standing before him with a nervous smile on his face and a hand outstretched. "We could use another player or two. We're getting creamed."

Staring up at his face, Ben felt his heart rate increase again and struggled to fight down his blush, but had no chance of stopping his face from lighting up with a huge smile. Nodding, he took the offered hand and let Jimmy hoist him up.

"Sure, We'll play. But I should warn you I was never any good." He muttered shyly.

"I'm sure you'll get the hang of it. And if not, your speed will more than make up for it." Jimmy shrugged, already heading back to where his team was gathering. Watching him go for a second, Ben let his smile turn into a mischievous grin, whipped around and dragged a struggling Rick to his feet.

"I don't want to play with the humans." Rick scowled, yanking his arm back.

"Well, too bad." Ben replied cheekily, not letting go. He was just as strong as Rick and unlike the African American, he'd experimented since being deharnessed. There was no breaking his grip. _'Suddenly it's a lot harder talking to Jimmy and it's all your fault. You are not leaving me to play alone.'_ Ignoring all of Rick's mental and verbal complaints, Ben dragged him happily to the others. He had no idea how to handle this attraction or whatever it was at the moment, so he'd worry about that later. Besides, one problem at a time. First he was going to enjoy the arduous task of convincing Rick that he enjoyed human activities. After all, if they were going to be around for a while, he had to accept it and stop being such a grump.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

Ben felt pretty proud of himself. He'd done much better in the game than he'd expected and though his side still lost, it was only by two points as opposed to seven. Rick wasn't speaking to him right now, but that was fine. He'd gotten what he'd wanted.

It took forever to stop his fellow Razorback from complaining and even longer to get him playing seriously, but once he did, he horrified himself by realising that he was having fun. That he was happy mingling with the humans. Needless to say that he didn't take that revelation well and he only stuck around to glare at Ben before storming off, but Ben wasn't put off in the slightest. He could still feel everything Rick did after all and he knew how he thought. By dinnertime he'd be talking with him again. He was too important to Rick for him to ignore the blonde for more than a few hours. And surrounded by humans would only make him even more desperate for Ben's company.

Plus, while they were focusing on the ball, the other kids barely remembered to be wary of him at all. Yeah, they were tense and leery for the first few minutes after he joined the game, but they seemed to forget that he was any different from them by the time he'd helped score another goal. The advantage of having his speed on their side made all the Second Mass kids too excited to worry much about anything else. it was a nice break.

_And so is a little solitude._ He added, grabbing a branch to stabilise himself. Hal and Lourdes had gone to help prepare dinner or get the kids all washed up, but they did give him approval to explore a little in the trees when they caught him looking around longingly as long as he could still see the farm. He had a feeling that Hal had forgotten just how good his vision was when he made that condition, but that was fine, he wasn't planning on going far anyway. Just far enough to be surrounded by leaves and bark. The guards watching from the upper levels of the house didn't look too thrilled about him moving into the tree line, but he didn't really care. They weren't his masters and something felt a little...off about them.

A large smile graced his lips as he settle comfortably on a thick branch and looked around. He could remember the last time he tried to climb a tree. He got maybe two feet up before falling to the ground and teased by Hal's friends. He'd felt thoroughly humiliated and never wanted to do it again. This time however, it was as easy as sitting up. He'd made it a good twelve feet off the ground before finding a nice, strong branch to lounge on and looked around, everything around him.

His Guardian had never taken him out of Boston and before that, most of his memories consisted of residing in rooms with a book or computer at his fingertips. They were nice memories, but the memory turned dream he had of the fishing trip was probably his favourite. It was the only one he could track down that held wildlife in abundance. He'd grown bored of dull walls made of brick and concrete forever surrounding him. he knew his old self would probably been appalled at the idea, but he longed to spend as much time in places like this as he could. All around him was greens and browns of varying shades, occasionally broken by tweeting birds flying and nesting in the trees or the grey, black and brown pelts of small mammals running around on the ground. A rattlesnake was slithering around the base of another tree about five feet away from his and a squirrel was collecting nuts from the branches above his head, amusing Ben as it ripped its head from one direction to the next with simply amazing speed every second.

There had to be a stream nearby, for the soothing sound of running water was meeting his ears, leaving him feeling quite serene. It was a hell of a lot more peaceful than the bangs of Mechs walking, guns shooting and scrap metal falling to the ground. The chatter of small creatures was much easier on his ears than soldiers barking orders. Even the smells were better. The lingering scent of pollution of the city and frequently replenished smell of vehicle exhaust from the school was completely gone, replaced by the musky smell of the animals and the pleasant aromas the plants produced to attract the insects he'd read that they needed to survive and reproduce. His sense of smell was just as advanced as his sight and hearing and it was nice to smell something nice that didn't disappear when meal time ended. Closing his eyes happily as a gentle breeze caressed his cheek, he breathed in deep, allowing the scents it brought to travel through his sinuses.

The smile evaporated almost immediately, for with the smell of what he thought were flowers came something very fowl and so strong that he could taste it. His jaw clenched and his eyes opened darkly as he breathed in again. He knew that smell. Boston had been bombed before the Skitters had even touched down on the planet and after they had and it grew more common, impossible to notice.

A human had died and it wasn't natural. Something had happened. He'd bled a _lot_. And it was a fresh kill too. No older than a few hours at the most. And a bloody, human death almost always meant Skitters were nearby.

Dropping from the tree, he landed perfectly and sniffed, following the scent like a bloodhound. Reaching his mental senses out, he frowned as only Rick's presence registered in his head. Other than him, no one else with the connection was even in his range and even without the harness, that was more than enough to cover the entire farm. But while the smell was definitely close by, he hadn't once sensed anyone else since the attack on the school.

_So what, did an animal kill him?_ He frowned, scrunching up his face as the smell grew stronger. _Too strong for just one victim!_ He'd only just realised that as he pulled out of the trees onto a path. And there, right in front of him, were the escort his father had sent with them, both bearing bullet wounds in their chests and flies gathering around their pools of blood.

"Those are too small for Mech bullets." He muttered, taking great care to breathe through his mouth. Up so close, the smell was about to make him puke. He didn't need any more help with that, what he could see was enough. Enhanced sight did have its disadvantages too, such as seeing every miniscule detail of the bleeding, fly and maggot infested wounds. "And Skitters don't carry guns. This was a human job."

The realisation left him pale, barely able to speak. The humans were still killing their own. How could they? There were so few left and they were already threatened with extinction by obliteration. How could they turn on their own? The Skitters would never even consider that! He knew that humans had a _very_ rich history of fighting each other, but he'd thought that they were over that now, united as a species. But this...this horrendous act proved just how wrong he was.

"They didn't even steal anything from them." He muttered, starting to hyperventilate. The men had only had their weapons and the clothes on their backs and everything down to the last bullet was still in its place on their bodies. This wasn't even done for supplies like the Russells' threats. They were simply killed so that they would be dead. _Who could do such a thing? Why would they want to..._

"It wasn't exactly willingly given information."

"And I told you it doesn't have to be this way."

Ben froze in his tracks as he heard it. Two voices, one he didn't know while the other was Clayton's without a doubt. They were slightly muffled, meaning they were inside a building, but that made sense. The barn was only ten feet away. Glancing around quick, so as to ensure that he wasn't being watched, he crept up to the side of the barn opposite to the house and pressed his ear against the wood.

"So what's this, my last chance to conform?" The first voice asked snidely. He sounded a lot like Hal in terms of attitude, but his voice was much weaker. Like he was hungry or strained. Probably hurt.

It was hard to grasp details of what was going on as he listened, but Ben was pretty sure that he got the gist of it. The unknown guy was a prisoner and had been used to gain information. And whatever Clayton was doing, he openly disapproved of it.

"You really think that you can deal with those lizards?" The guy asked, plainly believing that prospect was ridiculous.

"It's not about winning anymore Pope. It's all about survival." Clayton's response stopped Ben cold. Suddenly all of the pieces fit together and the image was nothing short of horrific. He knew the name Pope. He'd been a prisoner and cook for the Second before he escaped. He'd threatened and risked his dad's, brother's and their team's lives with his actions. Clayton had captured him and got information about the Second Mass and its location. Which Clayton had in turn informed the Skitters of and sent one there to aid him in separating the kids from the fighters and handing them over to be connected.

This place was the trap he'd discovered was taking place in the Skitter's head. Clayton had killed the fighters so they couldn't inform his dad and Weaver of the farm's true location, them no doubt having been given incorrect directions. Hal had noticed that something wasn't quite right before. The Skitters would be here soon.

His siblings were in danger.

"Bye Pope." Clayton's voice grew clearer as he talked, his voice accompanied with thumping. Not wanting to get caught, Ben held his breath and stayed perfectly still as the door opened. He listened intently as the dry grass crunched under Clayton's boots, focusing hard to block out all other noises. It wasn't until he was sure Clayton was halfway to the house before he breathed again and headed straight for the barn door. He had to talk to this guy.

"You really should clean up this place." Pope commented casually, surprising Ben. Not only did he suddenly sound a lot stronger, but his statement meant that someone else was still in there. "It's covered in broken glass."

The telltale sharp breaths, grunts and thumps of a scuffle broke out a second later, only making Ben reach the door even more hastily, throwing it open running right in. the fight was already over by the time he reached the source of the noise, a room behind a door made of wood and wire. Just as he reach it, the door was pushed open a fast moving man appeared in the new opening.

Ben didn't even register who he was before he acted. He could have been either member of the scuffle. All he knew was that the man couldn't get away, no matter who he was. At least not yet. So mindful that doorway also reveal that the next room was on a lower level of the barn, he thrust his open palm and struck him right in the chest. The guy didn't know what hit him before he was sent flying back into the wall opposite the stairs and slid down it with a pile of splinters following him.

"What the..._hell_ was that?" He grunted, hissing in pain as Ben walked in, nodding with a slight relief. Both because his victim was still alive and, more importantly, it was Pope.

"Sorry about that." He stated calmly, devoid of emotion as he stared down at the convict. "I would have gone easier, but I didn't want you to break your neck tumbling down the stairs."

"Oh, how generous of you." Pope retorted, flinching as his back and chest simultaneously complained at the slightest movement. "How the hell were able to do that? No one's that strong! Who are you?"

"I child of the Second Mass." Ben answered just as neutrally as before, walking down the stairs. "But that doesn't matter right now. I need confirmation on what I've just discovered and you're the best source of information I've got." Reaching the bottom, he let his eye linger to the other guy in the room and was satisfied that he was still breathing, but far from conscious before focusing them squarely on Pope.

"I saw plenty of kiddies around the school. I never saw you." Pope retorted, scowling back heatedly. "Though I admit that you look familiar, you weren't there. Soldier boy would never let someone inhumanly so strong stay in the background. He'd want you on the front lines, not as a civilian."

"I wasn't there when you were." Ben responded, narrowing his eyes impatiently. "And like I said, who I am isn't important. Tell me, is Clayton handing kids to the Skitters?"

"Got in one, pipsqueak." Pope nodded. "For his group's safety, you're about to learn the life of slavery."

"What a stupid move." Ben muttered, shaking his head. "He thinks they'll let him live. The Skitters don't care about him. As soon as he's served his purpose, they'll kill him anyway."

"How perceptive of you ki..." Pope started only to freeze as Ben turned his head in thought, revealing a spike. When the Razorback turned back to the convict, it was to find his pained face giving way to recognition. "So, I finally get the honour of meeting the missing Mason! The Skitters', now former, little pet."

"I am not, nor was I ever, anyone's pet." Ben growled, flaring with indignation.

"Slave, drone, whatever you wanna call it." Pope shrugged, pulling himself to his feet. "At least that explains the super strength. You've been tainted. Corrupted."

"Say what you want. I've heard worse." Ben snapped, not in the mood. Normally Pope's words would hurt him, but right now he didn't have time to worry about them. his siblings were in danger and their safety would always come first. "The only thing I care about right now, is whether you intend to help me stop it?"

"Now why would I work with a Skitter half breed like you?" Pope retorted, stepping right up to Ben, gun and knife in either hand. "I'd much rather kill alien freaks."

"Your hatred for them and Clayton is exactly why you'd help me." Ben answered coldly, not intimidated in the slightest. If Pope tried anything, he'd have him disarmed pressed against a wall before he could so much as pull a trigger. "Letting Clayton get away with this helps the Skitters. Which means you're already involved with indirectly helping them. I intend to stop it, ruining the Skitters' plan. And to you that would only be a good thing, something to take pride in."

"And to me you say." Pope commented, though there was only slyness and amusement to it. "Not to you though huh? You don't take pride in that?"

"I'm basically neutral. All I care about is keeping everyone alive and happy. I don't want anyone dead."

"Including the Skitters." It wasn't a question and Ben didn't respond. Since his talk with Jimmy on the way to Sanctuary, he wasn't entirely sure how he felt about the Skitters, but Pope was still right. He didn't want them hurt either. "If you're so neutral, why are you acting against them now?"

"Because my siblings don't want to be connected. Well, most of them." He corrected himself, eliciting a dark look form Pope. "Rick's a Razorback like me. Already connected and misses the Skitters. But the rest don't want the connection and I'll be damned if anyone is going to force it on them."

"Professor Mason only had a total of three kids and none of them were named Rick."

"My list of siblings and how they have that title is not important, will you help me or not?" A bit of impatience was creeping into his cold voice now. Ben had had enough banter.

Shifting his momentarily over to the other guy, making sure he was still out, Pope scowled deeply as his fierce eyes return to Ben's icy ones, but Ben could see him mulling everything over. He knew the answer before Pope even said a thing.

"What have you got in mind Spiky? Charge in guns blazing?" He asked sarcastically.

"No, that'll get you, me and who knows who else killed." Ben retorted, giving Pope a 'don't be a retard' he remembered giving Hal almost every day before the attack. "You run off for now, come back at night and hide in the trees. I'll tell Hal and Mike what's going on and convince them to get everyone out at midnight. We'll go from there. We'll probably need you to give us some covering fire."

"A basic tactic. One right out of some history book no doubt." Pope snorted, pushing past Ben, towards the stairs. Ben merely watched him go. He turned to look over his shoulder as he reached the top. "So you're the one who took after your old man huh? Well then, let's hope for sake of your dear little siblings that you've adapted to war as effectively as he has."

That was as close to an agreement that he knew he was going to get. As Pope left, he only hoped that his assumption was right.

...

"How long are we going to be keeping up this charade?"

"It's easier on everyone if they want to be here. The next trade off is tomorrow night, we'll see then."

The only reason Ben was eating their food was because he had to keep up a charade of his own. Something that Ben had to remind himself with every spoonful he ate as he listened in. He didn't want anything these horrid people offered, would rather burn it all just so they couldn't have it either. It was a feeling that had Rick smirking at him randomly throughout the whole meal, one which he was refusing to touch. No surprise there, if it was from humans then he wouldn't touch it until he absolutely had to.

He'd spent the entire time using his mouthfuls and a mask of contentment as reasons for being silent and playing innocent as he focused on his ears. It had first proved difficult with so many excited people chatting away all around him, but he eventually managed to block it out and listen in on more private conversations. Most of them were about Pope and the exchange.

Pope terrified the traitors. Though Clayton was confident that he wouldn't come back, the others had taken note of just how disgusted he was with these people and were ready to sleep with one eye open and knives under their pillows. Clayton was calming them down though. That was good, it would leave them in a very bad position when Pope did return. What was better was that none had noticed that he'd interacted with Pope. And since they'd done nothing but show off a sample of their speed, unless Clayton listened to Jimmy or Weaver recounting their last night at the school, none of the traitors new just how dangerous he was. Or that he knew what they were up to.

The information on the exchange calmed him down a little. He still had about twenty four hours to get everyone to safety. Plenty of time, they'd be long gone within six. And if only one or two Skitters and Mechs were coming, even if they did get caught, there was no way they could take them all now they were prepared. They'd get away. He'd make it happen.

"What's the matter Rick, not hungry?" Shaking my head back to reality, Ben was a little surprised to see Clayton sitting down and tucked in, ready for food. Ben hadn't even noticed that he'd entered the room. His face was the epitome of friendly and it made him work extra hard to keep myself from scowling as he talked to his brother. It looked far to genuine for a backstabber threatening the free will of everyone Ben cared about. "You know, when we were stationed together, he could not stop talking about you."

"Don't worry. Mostly good stuff." Mike grinned down at him. However, the feeling coming from the darker Razorback were far from relieved with that comment. In fact, Ben almost flinched as memories flittered through Rick, bringing anger and misery with them. One particular memory actually did make him squirm as it crossed through their connection accidentally. For a split second, he felt everything Rick had as he remember one of his pre-harnessed episodes, struggling to breath, his lungs straining and his heart thumping in panic. All because he couldn't get nearly enough air into his lungs.

"And what good stuff could that be?" He asked as the memory died, ignoring Ben's mental attempts to sooth him. "When I sick all the time? When I could barely catch my breath?" With that, he hit the table, startling everyone, as he got to his feet. Sparing Ben's bowl and spoon one last annoyed look, he sent him feeling that was best translated to 'this better be worth whatever you're doing' before storming away.

"Rick!" Mike cried, watching as he stomped off. However, his son had no interest in listening to him and continued on his way, leaving only a stunned, uncomfortable silence in his wake. "I'm sorry Clayton. Please excuse my son's current lack of manners." He sighed, caught between being sad, worried and apologetic as he turned back to Clayton. He turned desperate as his eyes moved on to lock with Ben's. "I don't suppose you could talk to him when you're ready for me? He listens to you a lot more than me."

"I can do that." He nodded, happy to follow the request of his father's brethren. He felt really bad for Mike to be honest. He tried so hard, but he just couldn't get Rick to open up to him, to accept him again. "He does still care about you, you know." He added, hoping to relieve Mike of some of the pain etched so noticeably on his face. "I've felt it. He doesn't realise it."

"Um, Ben!" Hal hissed softly, drawing the middle Mason's attention. Giving him a sharp look, he jabbed his head towards the nervous kids and the suddenly wary men of Sanctuary hanging around the next room. His old group was especially horrified.

"Oh, um...excuse me." He muttered, biting his lip nervously as he stood up and walked away, straight to the room they'd slept in the night before and kicked the bed just hard enough make slide an inch across the floor. He'd forgotten again! How many did he have to kick himself before he remembered not to talk about harness related subjects in public? If the adults of the Second Mass found out about even half his slip-ups since the beginning of this trip, they'd...

"Ben?" His little rant was broken as Lourdes opened the door, Jimmy and Matt right by her side. "Oh good, you are in here."

"Yeah. I'm sorry Lourdes." He sighed, sinking onto the floor. "I didn't mean to creep anyone out, but since everyone at the table saw me connect to Rick yesterday, I just assumed it wouldn't bother anyone."

"It's ok Ben. I'm not mad or anything." Lourdes replied soothingly as Matt sat down on the bed above him and Jimmy closed the door. That had him sighing in relief. For a moment he was worried that she wanted to scold him. "There's nothing to be mad over."

"Yeah." Jimmy agreed, dropping down hesitantly in front of Ben, wrapping his arms around his legs. "Anyone would have tried to get rid of that look from Mike's face. You just knew how."

"He was pretty happy when you said that." Matt agreed brightly.

"It was a very sweet thing to do. And exactly what he needed." Lourdes smiled, rubbing his head affectionately, removing all traces of his worry. "Just be a little more mindful with your wording or location next time." She added lightly, getting an obedient nod in return.

"I will, promise." He grinned appreciatively. However, his face turned grave a moment later. His hearing was promising that they were well alone. The creaking of the wooden floor assured him that everyone nearby was walking away from them, even those below. He wouldn't get a better chance to warn Lourdes and Jimmy. It may not have been the best decision to let Matt in on what was going on yet, seeing as he wasn't very good with hiding his fear, but he'd have to deal with it. He couldn't just force him away. He'd just hope for the best.

"Is something wrong?" Jimmy asked with a frown, a little put off and scared of the look. The only time Ben had looked even remotely close to that there was a Skitter attacking him.

"You're not safe here." He stated, the edge in his tone freezing all three of the others. "That is, unless you want to be harnessed." He added, causing Lourdes' eyes to widen in horror as Jimmy gasped with barely contained panic. He could feel Matt shaking from where his leg was touching Ben's shoulder.

"Harnessed?" Jimmy cried, only to find a hand over his mouth and two people shushing him a second later. He was hyperventilating, but Ben retracted his hand a moment later, confident that he wouldn't shout again. "What do you mean harnessed?" He asked, lowering his voice to a panicked whisper. "We came here to stop that from happening, didn't we?"

"You told Weaver that the Skitter attack on the school was part of a plot to get kids, so Tom sent us here for protection." Lourdes agreed before paling considerably. Ben could see quite clearly as she connected the dots. "Oh my God! Are you telling us that...Clayton..."

"Is dealing with the Skitters. Us for the lives of the people here." Ben nodded darkly, thoroughly disgusted. "He's the worst kind of scum, a traitor to his own kind."

"This is...so beyond bad." Jimmy groaned, squeezing his shut and pulling at his hair. "We have basically no weapons, no fighters we can trust and we're surrounded by armed thugs turned into minions of the Skitters. What do we do?"

"We're not entirely defenceless." Ben commented, resting a hand on Jimmy's shoulder, all the while wishing once again that Jimmy was connected like him. It would be so much easier to give him hope and optimism that way. "We have Hal and Mike. They have weapons. I _think_ we have one other guy coming back to help tonight. And we have a the element of surprise."

"Surprise?" Matt asked, frowning fearfully as he dropped to the floor and pressed himself into Ben's side. The poor kids had tremors running all through his body and desperately wanted to comfort of his brother, something Ben was quite happy to give him.

"Yeah Matt." Ben nodded, wrapping his arm around Matt and rubbing his shoulder. "They don't know that we know. They don't know all that I can do and only Clayton has any clue that Jimmy's been trained as a fighter. Plus we might have Pope. We can do a lot with all that."

"Wait, Pope?" Lourdes cried, frowning in sheer disbelief. "He's your guy? How does he have anything to do with this and what makes you think he'll do anything to help us?"

"He hates the Skitters and he was a prisoner here. Tortured for information too." Was Ben's response, shocking all of the others once again. "It's how I know about Clayton's deal and how Clayton knew there were a lot of kids in the Second Mass and where to find it. He never talked to this Porter guy. They've done everything they possibly could to make Pope's hit list."

"I think we need the whole story here." Lourdes muttered, rubbing her temples as Jimmy gnawed violently on his lip. "Tell us everything from the beginning."

"I will, but can that wait until we find Hal and Mike please?" He asked hopefully, giving Lourdes his most pleading look. "The exchange is tomorrow night, we need to be out of here by midnight and it's risky talking about all this even once. It's better everyone who needs to know hears it the first time around."

"Yeah, you're right of course." Lourdes nodded with a sigh, getting a thankful look from Ben as she rose to her feet. "I'll go find them. You guys stay here, I shouldn't be gone long." With that, she strode right out the door, leaving the boys in an awkward silence.

Matt's occasional gulps and whimpers were the only source of sound for a good few minutes as they waited. Ben and Jimmy merely sat there, Ben comforting his brother as much as he could while both of the older boys took turns staring at each other and flinging their vision to the floor or door when it looked like the other would catch them. Neither of them seemed sure what to say, something that was starting to trouble Ben a lot. He wanted to reassure Jimmy, remove the scared look from his face, promise him that they'd be fine, but he didn't have a clue how. Which only made him more annoyed because if he couldn't do it, Jimmy wouldn't smile at him again.

Jimmy however, seemed to be a little more prepared. Getting sick of the silence, he gathered up his courage and turned to look Ben right in the eye.

"Hey, um, why are you resisting Clayton so much?" He asked cautiously. He knew had a habit of sounding nosey and rude when he got curious and he really didn't want to insult Ben. Fortunately, Ben only looked a little confused by the question. The lack of the indignation he usually got when he started questioning people allowed him to relax a little as he pushed on. "I mean, I know that you'd be happy to get the harness back. You talk too fondly about it. So why are you stopping it from happening?"

"Because the rest of you don't want it." He replied like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Because I want you and Lourdes and Matt and everyone else to be happy. I'd never take what I wanted if it hurt everyone I care about."

"You care about me?" Jimmy asked, grateful that the room was dark. It had only been lit by candles and they were going out. Hopefully that meant that Ben couldn't see the slight bit of pink he knew was gracing his cheeks at that comment, not that he had the slightest clue why it was there. Or why the thought of Ben caring about him made him so happy.

"Of course I do. I like you." Ben muttered, redirecting his eyes to the floor as his own cheeks heated up, ensuring that, much to Jimmy's embarrassment, Ben and Matt had seen his do the same before. "You're nice and don't hate me just because of my spikes. You talk to me and I enjoy it when you do. And I admire you. You're brave enough to join the fighters. That's pretty impressive."

"Not when you keep messing up it's not." Jimmy muttered, suddenly growing a little sad, causing Ben to kick himself again. He guessed he said something wrong again, though he didn't know what. He needed Lourdes to help him. He didn't know how to fix whatever he did.

_Still, I have to try._ He thought, wracking his brain for a solution. "Well, look at it this way, with every mistake is one more action that you know not to make. There's only so many left you can make before you're a perfect fighter." He tried with a grin. "Everyone makes mistakes, it only matters that you learn from them and get better. Look at me, I keep getting social interactions wrong, but now I know what not to say and keep trying anyway."

"Was that supposed to rhyme?" Jimmy asked, raising an eyebrow. However, a small, appreciative smile grew on his face at about the same time, resulting in Ben's face lighting up considerably.

_Great, another mistake fixed._ He beamed, chalking up another victory on the board in his head and growing quite pleased with himself as his tallied up victories outnumbered his mistakes.

However, all happiness disappeared a moment later as the door opened again to reveal a very dark looking Hal and an angered and betrayed Mike following Lourdes in. The tension could be cut with a knife as the new members looked down upon its inhabitants and Hal barely waited for the door to close before directing his fierce eyes right to Ben's. There was no doubt in Ben or Jimmy's minds that Lourdes had told them the gist of it and judging from the look on the eldest Mason brother's face, heads were likely to roll.

"Tell me everything."

* * *

**AN: **Just outta curiosity, what did everyone think of how Ben and Pope interacted? Or how Ben interacts with Rick or Jimmy? Or the shift in Ben's thought patterns. The last question I asked just to see if anyone has figured out what I'm doing with him. well, have a merry Christmas and I'll see you all in the new year.


	10. Chapter 10

**AN:** Hey, just taking a moment to say thanks for the reviews. They mean a lot.

Well, here's the first chapter of 2013. hope you enjoy it.

* * *

**Chapter 10**

Hal was livid by the end of the recounting, to say the least. His eyes burned with it and his face was set harder than stone. His fists were clenched so hard that his nails were beginning to draw blood and the only reason he hadn't completely destroyed the room and rampaged after Clayton and every one of his men was because Mike was holding him in place, Lourdes covering his mouth with her hand to since his first attempt to rage and scream.

Never in his entire life had he felt like this. Not even when the Skitters killed his mother and harnessed his brother. Even with every atrocious act they had committed, despite how he thought it was impossible to hate a being any more than he did them, his animosity towards the Skitters didn't even come close to what he'd gained for Clayton.

_HOW DARE HE! _The same lineran through his head again and again, his body growing rigid in Mike's arms. Clayton's group wasn't only human, but had been comrades in arms. They'd fought together, shared the unspeakable pain the aliens had cursed upon them! And yet here he was, not only abandoning his brethren, but betraying the most innocent and vulnerable members of his own kind to the very creatures that ripped the world to shreds simply to save their own hides! Hal agreed with Ben wholeheartedly for the first time he could remember. These people truly were the worst kind of scum you could ever imagine. There was no excuse or forgiveness for what they'd done. Not even Lourdes seemed to think that they were capable of atonement. No one risked the lives of children, no matter what. ESPECIALLY his brothers!

"So you honestly think Pope will help?" Mike asked, bearing a very noticeable amount of doubt as he loosened his hold on Hal, slightly more confident that he wouldn't break and take off on a murderous tirade. Not that Hal thought that it wasn't a highly appealing idea. "I never really had any interaction with him, but I do know that he's the last person decent people should trust."

"Until you want him to do something dirty and spiteful in the name of revenge." Ben stated, unnerving everyone else in the room as a smirk crossed his face. Those who hadn't known him before the invasion found it quite disturbing to see a smirk cross his usually innocent face at all and even his brothers hadn't ever seen one that looked so...savage before. It was too animalistic, too keen for battle. "You can always count on a dishonest man to be dishonest."

"Maybe so, but let's plan this so Pope's only a beneficial addition, not a requirement." Mike decided. He was in no way convinced. "So you planned to leave at midnight. That's fine. But let's bear in mind that there are ten people here who know how to use a firearm and they'll chase us. At least two are forever on watch."

"I found the room where they keep their ammunition." Jimmy piped up from his place on the bed, staring up hopefully. It was safe to say that the boy really wanted to contribute, though, having worked alongside Jimmy and seeing just how determined he was to prove himself, that wasn't a surprise to Hal. "We could sneak in and loot it? Maybe not the guns, but we could hide the bullets in our pockets. That way they only have one mag each and we have plenty to spare."

"That's a good idea and it'll give us an advantage if we get stuck in a fire fight, but the objective is to get away without that happening." Was Mike's response, finally letting go of Hal completely. "Our best bet is to get as far away as possible before they notice we're gone."

"But to do that, we'd have to take out the guards a mere minute before we leave." Hal muttered curtly, turning a heated look out the window. "The other traitors step outside or up on the balcony with them too frequently. Too much of a gap between dealing with them and getting a group of thirty something kids running into the forest and the plan is screwed."

"The one taking the guards out would need a couple minutes to catch up too." Lourdes muttered, surprising the fighters amongst them with her contribution. "They'd have to get through the house and out the door quickly and would probably draw attention doing it. Assuming of course that the scuffle with the guards doesn't become loud and draw attention to what we're doing in the first place."

"All true." Mike sighed, looking from Lourdes to Hal questioningly. "Any ideas on how to get around it?"

"Besides a bottle of chloroform miraculously showing up in our hands? No." Hal grunted, shaking his head. This was just getting more and more difficult. How many flaws can you find in one plan?

"I could do it." That caught their attention. Everyone present followed the soft voice right to Ben, each one baring their own degree of shock, confusion and worry. Hal's was especially strong.

"What the hell? How do you think you can handle it? Or that I would let you risk yourself like that?" He cried, walking right up to the rising blond only to freeze as he looked into his face. If the savage smirk was unnerving before, it was nothing to the cold green ice he was staring into now. It was enough to send shivers down his spine. There was nothing of his old, nerdy brother or his new bright nature in them. If he could see anything past the frigid ice, it was a deadly fierceness that no one Hal had ever met could match. It was terrifying.

"I can move faster than most can react to and I can take out the guards with one shot. Plus, getting down onto the ground will take me two seconds when it'll take you two minutes. And I can do it all without a gun. I'm the best option we've got. That's why you'll let me."

His voice was as cold as his eyes and beared enough force to level a building. And to make it worse, he couldn't find anything to use to shoot his plan down. He didn't know the full extent of Ben's abilities, but from what he'd seen and heard already, he was sure Ben was right. All he had on his side was that he was supposed to be keeping his brothers safe, but saying no to Ben's plan may very well put him and Matt in even more danger, not to mention everyone else. He was not prepared for this. Hell, his father wasn't ready for this and even Lourdes looked as if she was seeing the impossible. Ben was supposed to be an overly obedient kid who could barely manage to get a question about the weather out to most people, not some cold as ice warrior demanding his place in battle. It was safe to say that Ben was willing to do this with or without his support. Looking to Lourdes for help proved futile, she only shook her head at Hal's imploring gaze. That settled it, the only person who could stop Ben from taking this on without coming up with a better plan was Tom and unfortunately, he wasn't there.

"I guess that's settled then." Mike stated, sparing Hal an apologetic look before moving on. "Ben will take care of the guards while we guide the kids into the forest. This will still probably draw enough attention to ourselves for Clayton to follow us, but once the kids are in the trees, Lourdes and Jimmy will lead them back the way we came. Hal and I will hang back a little and prepare for anyone who manages to catch up with us, with help from Pope if he shows up. But now we need to set ourselves up before all that."

"So what are we going to do?" Jimmy asked, standing stiffly right beside Ben. Hal snorted at that. The message was clear, if Ben could join in, then so was he.

"Lourdes found Eli Russell's jacket. I'll use it to confront Clayton and make him think I joined him. Considering that he asked for me to come specifically, I think that's what he wants anyway." He stated before pointing to Hal. "You will need to distract that girl, Tessa. Everyone's noticed how she's searching for your attention and we don't need her finding out anything."

"You want me to go somewhere and flirt with her?" Hal cried a little too loudly, earning the indignant teen a round of shushing from everyone in the room.

"You don't need to flirt, there are plenty of other ways to keep her distracted." Lourdes snapped, a very put out look crossing her usually sweet face. "Just don't act hostile. Yet."

"That's not the...you seriously want me to..." He couldn't string anything together, his exasperation completely overriding his brain.

"What he means to say is that this isn't gonna work well." Matt broke in, startling the others. Besides Ben, who he had yet to let go of, the others had completely forgotten he was even there. "Unless he's playing arrogant, he can't act at all. They had to make him a tree in his last school play. No one else did, they all got to move and talk."

"Then act like your God's gift to women or something. You did it all the time before the invasion anyway." Ben responded smartly with a roll of his eyes, finally breaking the frosty look and making Matt giggle. That little outburst was classic Ben, the way he'd always spoken to Hal in one of their arguments. Even Hal had to huff to hide how happy that actually made him, if only for an instant. He hadn't realised just how much he missed Ben's old attitude.

"Fine, fine, if it keeps her from stumbling on our little secret, I'll go be my usual, cocky-ass self and chat up a snoopy girl. If I must." He added with an overly dramatic sigh. "Curse my good looks and irresistible nature."

"Yeah, yeah, poor Hal, how do you ever manage to survive with all those girls throwing themselves at your feet?" Jimmy drawled, before giving Ben a smirk. "Was he always such a show pony?"

"No, he was worse." Ben stated, getting an indignant squawk from one brother and a loud laugh from the other.

"Hey, don't start or tell everyone about-"

"Can we get back to business please?" Mike butted in, immediately leaving Hal ducking his head in a mix of shame and self-directed irritation. This was no time for messing around. Jimmy was young and not very experienced and his brothers weren't even fighters, so them getting a little sidetracked was a bit more acceptable, but he was basically his father's shadow. The situation was dire, he should have known better than to indulge in sibling banter right now.

"Right. So what else is there to do?" He asked, looking up apologetically at Mike. Some of the tension disappeared as he did. Mike showed no signs of irritation. Truthfully, he almost looked a little nostalgic. But that was understandable. Every family went through frequent bouts of banter and playful teasing, Mike no doubt used to do it all the time with his wife and son. Hal had a feeling that he'd give anything to have Rick open up enough to play like that again.

"While you and I are distracting the nosiest members of Sanctuary, Lourdes will stay here." He answered, turning to the young medic. "Make sure this room stays clear for us and that everyone's stuff is packed up. We need to be able to leave here in a hurry, but we don't want to worry the kids until the moment that we go."

"Oh, the easy job. no problem." Lourdes shrugged as if it was no big deal. However, Hal couldn't help but notice a slightly off tone in her voice or how her body was slightly rigid and had to stop himself from gasping as he realised that Lourdes was actually a little disappointed. If he wasn't mistaken, she wanted to help more actively too. Now that was weird, Lourdes was usually quite happy with her position in the regiment. It was with great curiosity that he wondered what had changed.

"And that leaves their armoury." Mike stated, filling Hal with dread as he followed Mike's gaze. It landed on the both of the teenagers before them. "Jimmy, take Ben and clean it out. It'll be a good test of Ben's abilities. Practice stealth and discretion, make sure as few people see you as possible and make sure those who do don't grow suspicious."

"Mike that's risky! If they get caught-"

"Then Ben wins most likely to take out whoever catches them without alerting the rest of the house." Mike interrupted firmly, shooting Hal right down and into staring grumpily at the floor. However, he did look up as he felt Mike's hand rest comfortingly on his shoulder. "This will also give him practice in hit and run. Something that could prove useful for tonight, give him more of a chance when the real danger begins."

"Don't worry Hal, we'll be fine." Jimmy stated as Ben nodded in agreement. Staring at the two of them, Hal wasn't sure what he saw more in them, their excitement or their determination. Ben in particular look like he wasn't sure to be very serious or happy. He seemed to decide to be both, though happiness took over when he turned to his new partner. Not for the first time, he couldn't help but wonder why Jimmy had such an interesting effect on Ben. He had an inkling, but he wasn't sure it was right.

"Ok. Just be careful, alright?" Hal sighed, conceding defeat. It wasn't like him pondering or arguing about Ben would do anything at this point and he was already in danger anyway. So, he'd just hope that this new bad-ass persona and Jimmy would be enough to keep him unharmed until he got back to the school, where keeping Ben out of the line of fire would be his Dad's problem.

"Don't worry so much. I'll be fine." Ben smiled, taking a step toward him. "Just let me." He added softly, imploringly, surprising Hal. Dark brown eyes gazed into pleading green in wonder as the words ran through his head again and again. Maybe he wasn't as wrong about his understanding about Ben's mind after all. For all the coldness and bravado he had before, he was still asking for permission now. And to be honest that felt much stranger to Hal, to have that kind of power over Ben. If he really wanted to, he actually could stop Ben from doing any of it. Well, most of it, after their conversation that morning and the intense determination he'd shown only a few minutes ago, he was guaranteed to rebel and do something, but the point was that Hal could seriously limit what Ben did. And Ben had never allowed that before. Honestly, it didn't feel right to be able to control him like that anymore, though the old, pre-invasion Hal would have loved it. He didn't want it like that. So, as much as he was sure he was going to regret it, he nodded his head and said the very words he now knew Ben was desperate to hear. "You can do it Ben. But if you don't end up at the school safe and sound after all of this, I'm am going to kill you."

"Great. Then I know you'll track me down if something goes wrong." Ben retorted smartly, though the thankful grin on his face cancelled out the effect.

"What about me?" Matt cried, pouting with his arms crossed over his chest as the guys moved towards the door. "I wanna help too!"

"You can help Lourdes here." Hal said firmly, giving his baby brother a look of finality that actually managed to cut off Matt's complaint before it left his lips. There was no way he was risking both his brothers like this. No way in hell.

"And you can help store away the ammo when the boys come back." Lourdes added softly as she let a hand trail over his head similarly to how she ruffled Ben's hair. It didn't have the same affect by a long shot, but the gesture still made his pout weaken, if only by a little.

"Hal and I'll head out first. Make sure we're all good." Mike ordered, getting a nod from Hal before turning to the other boys. "You two wait a few minutes before leaving and do everything you can to avoid attention. Try to be back here within half an hour everyone. We'll sort through any new developments before rounding up the kids for bed."

"Not a problem." Hal nodded as he headed for the door. Stopping right before he reached it, he held himself completely still and groomed his expression into his usual, arrogant smirk. Half an hour with a girl he didn't think was too bad forty minutes ago. He could do that. If it helped to save his brothers.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

In all honesty, Jimmy was quite impressed. Throughout his time fighting with the resistance, most of his missions had been of the stealthier nature. Being the youngest fighter, it was natural that the higher ups tried to keep him as far away from the more dangerous combat as possible. But ever time they found themselves caught by at least two Skitters or a Mech. The freaking creeps seemed to move like shadows when they wanted to and seemed to detect their enemies from a mile away.

However, now it was making sense, if Ben was anything to go by. The blond had taken two steps out of the room before he'd shoved Jimmy right back in and told him to take off his shoes. Apparently, the noise of them hitting the wooden floor was like a drum beat to his ears now that he was focusing on that particular sense. Jimmy had barely heard it, having opted for wearing nothing but the softest, stealthiest shoes he could find for months. If the Skitters had that kind of hearing, then it was a wonder that they ever managed to do any recon with being discovered at all.

Keeping close to the wall in single file, Ben kept his eyes closed for the entire trip, listening for creaking floorboards and voices nearby, keeping a hand firmly placed on his partner's shoulder as the younger teen guided him down to the makeshift armory. Every once in a while he'd tighten his grip and bring him to a halt as some walked by or tapped his shoulder to direct Jimmy to look casual when there was no way to avoid whoever approached, Jimmy quickly turning to Ben and explaining how to kick a ball so that it flew back over your head until they left. Between Ben's senses and Jimmy's quick adaptation, no one ever suspected a thing.

"The room's just halfway down that hall, the last door before the old laundry room." Jimmy muttered with a nod ahead, not entirely sure why he bothered. Ben's eyes were closed again. "A doorway on the opposite wall, three feet from the beginning of the hallway leads to the family room, there's no door on that one. What do you think?"

"There's a lot of people in there, but they're mostly kids." Ben responded softly with a frown. "I think that they're all from the Second Mass…but at least one of them is a full grown man. His breathing's too deep."

"Don't suppose you have x-ray vision too?" Jimmy asked lightly, trying to ignore the butterflies in his stomach. That one man could mess them up completely. "See which way he's looking?"

"No." Shaking his head, Ben frowned harder, straining his ears for anything that might help. "He's a bit labored…huh, that's weird."

"What is?" Jimmy asked, tilting his head curiously. Judging from the confused expression gracing Ben's face, he didn't think it was much worth worrying about, but Dai had told him once that anything you know and learn could be useful to you at the most unlikely of times when you're on a mission.

"He started mumbling about kids being like…fruitcake?" It took all Jimmy had not to snort at the thoroughly lost look Ben was giving him. "Something about them being hard as hell and…then it became completely incomprehensible."

"What, did he quiet down?"

"No, I can hear the flies buzzing around his head and he's much louder." Ben shook his head. "His words just stopped making sense. Not that they were great to begin with, this guy is the worst talker I've ever met! Everything comes out thick, sluggish and almost completely detached; you'd think he had brain damage or something."

That time Jimmy really did snort, covering his mouth to hide his snicker as Ben stared at him with a raised eyebrow and a little panic. The blond's eyes whipped from one direction to the other while Jimmy struggled to get a hold of himself, gazing most frequently where he heard the man grumbling unintelligibly in his seat. "Would you quiet down, he'll-"

"Forget he ever saw us even if he does manage to register our presence." Jimmy interrupted with a shrug before taking pity on the blond. "He's drunk, and from the way you're talking, I'd say quite heavily. He probably has his eyes shut, his vision and comprehension would be shot if they're not and the first thing he's going to register when he wakes up is a hangover. As long as you're not planning a dramatic, movie spy series of action, he won't even notice that we're there even if we walked right by him."

"Oh! Right, alcohol has significant effects to the brain when you partake in a large consumption." The mixture of sheepishness and self directed amusement did nothing to lessen Jimmy's own smile. "That would explain it. I forgot about that, it's been years since I've actually seen anyone drunk."

"Really? My Dad was drunk every weekend. Didn't any of your family…later, focus Jimmy." Shaking his head as berated himself, he forced down his curiosity. Seriously, what was he thinking? He could extend on that little peek into Ben's family life later; a job like this was no place for distractions. "Has anyone else come close enough to be a problem yet?" He asked, scanning the area. So far, no one was moving into view, but Ben had already proven that he couldn't always trust his eyes.

"Doesn't sound like it." It only took Ben a few seconds to respond, though it wasn't surprising. Jimmy doubted that the older boy had stopped listening in on everyone else at all.

"Great, then we'll just walk up to the door then." With that, the brunette moseyed on like there wasn't a problem in the world, Ben following blank faced behind him. Walking past the open doorway, Jimmy passed the inhabitants a flickering glance and was quite satisfied to see that he was right. The lone Sanctuary man, the oldest, most out of shape guy left, was slumped back in a recliner, completely smashed and about two seconds away from filling the room with his snoring.

Reaching the door, he only waited long enough to get another nod from Ben, a guarantee that no one was going to see it open, before turning the knob and rushing into the room, waiting only long enough for Ben to jump in after him before closing the door as softly as he could.

Feeling quite proud of himself, Jimmy turned back to the room and inspected his find. He wasn't quite sure how he felt about the cache before him. There weren't any heavy duty weapons there at all, just a few small pistols and a pile of army knives. Judging from the dust covering them, they hadn't been used in a good while. In fact, the only thing that had been was an open crate containing their stash of bullets.

"Well, this is a lot less stuff than I expected." Jimmy mumbled, lifting a box to find that it was practically empty. "They should really consider restocking their weapons more often."

"With so few of them, this is probably plenty." Ben shrugged, grabbing a loaded mag and shoving it into his jeans pocket. "Don't exactly need much ammo when you're working both sides. Who's gonna attack you?"

"Good point." The young fighter conceded, pocketing a small box. "It's good for us anyway. We can only carry so much before our pockets stick out too much." It was best not to look this gift horse in the mouth. Carrying a backpack around was deemed too suspicious by the more paranoid, experienced, fighters and sneaks and most of their pockets weren't very big. If they were caught going back up to the room, their clothes could only conceal so much. But with so little to steal, Jimmy was confident that they could take all they needed to cripple the traitors without needing a second run.

"It's funny how something so small can be so deadly." Ben commented, grabbing the last filled mag and shoving it into his jacket before scooping up handfuls of bullets.

"When they're used right." Jimmy nodded, walking over an inspecting the pile of knives. "Of course, they're useless without the correct type of gun."

"Really? Hmm…"Ben frowned, staring at his current handful before shaking his head and dropping them in his pocket. "Well then, someone will need to sort these things before we can use them. I've mixed a lot of differently shaped ones. Sorry."

"No problem, we're not planning to use them tonight anyway." Jimmy shrugged, not bothering to turn around. Picking up two knives, he brushed the dust off of them, testing their weight. One was a thick hunting knife with grooves all down the sharp side of the blade. The other was longer, thinner and double-edged. He had a feeling that the name dagger was more accurate. Pressing them against the table they were sitting on, he nodded in satisfaction as they dug into the wood with little resistance. Approving of both of them, he slipped the hunting knife into a strap hidden inside his vest, careful to make sure that it wouldn't cut through him or his clothes, before moving on to where the guns were laying and grabbing two identical weapons. Placing one partway into his waistband, he closed his vest to properly conceal it before turning to the blond scrounging up the last few free bullets.

"Here." He called, getting the blond's attention as he held up the dagger and gun. Looking up, Ben stopped in his tracks and stared at each of them individually before looking up at Jimmy, a little unsure.

"I thought we were only stealing bullets." He commented hesitantly. He made no move to take them, but Jimmy could see his hands itching to reach up.

"That was the plan, but I want you to take these anyway." Jimmy stated, looking him right in the eye as he took a step closer. "This is a dangerous situation. I know that you're strong and fast, you probably have the best chance of all of us of coming out unharmed, but it's still gonna be dangerous tonight. These can help keep you protect yourself."

"Jimmy…" Ben didn't seem capable of finishing his sentence. But his face had brightened quite impressively as he stared at the shorter boy.

"Just take them already, if for nothing else, then so I have peace of mind." He added much more firmly, turning his head away. He wasn't sure where all that had come from and his reddening face wasn't helping his macho image at all.

"Thank you." Jimmy could have sworn that there was a slightly warm, unknown tone in Ben's appreciative voice as he felt the blond's hands reach his and take the offerings. Turning back when his face had cooled down, he watched as Ben let his fingers dance over every detail of the weapons and testing their weight, a large smile covering his face the whole time. Feeling his eyes on him, Ben looked back to Jimmy thankfully before stowing the dagger underneath his belt behind him, safely hidden by his jacket and stashed the gun in his jacket pocket with the bullets. He set his face back to its unusually serious, focused state a moment later however, handing Jimmy the last few bags and tiny boxes of bullets. "We better get out of here. No one seems to be too close at the moment, but Hal's already left Tessa in the dust and Mike and Clayton must have said goodnight. I can hear Clayton mumble to some other guy about having Mike on board."

"Heh, isn't he in for a surprise." Jimmy smirked, stuffing his pockets before heading to the door. "Guess I'll load our new guns and show you how to use it back in the room. Let's go."

Slowly opening the door, flinching a little when it squeaked, he peeked out to ensure that Ben was right before rushing out and out of Ben's way, the young Razorback shutting it silently behind him before they carefully made their way back down the hall. They stopped just before the entrance to the family room so that Ben could double check that there weren't any new voices in with the kids and thankfully there weren't for even Jimmy heard the creaking floorboard as someone walked near the hallway's other entrance. Without so much as a glance at each other, both boys walked casually into family room and crossed right through it toward the staircase.

"Hey boys, getting tired already?" Jimmy tensed slightly at that, and was quick to move into a yawn as they found Clayton standing by the bottom of the stairs. Opening his eyes in what he hoped was a look of exhaustion, Jimmy nodded his head.

"Just a little bit." He nodded, continuing on his way. "We're not usually so active outside of missions and they require a lot of sitting still most times. I'm beat."

"Fair enough." Clayton shrugged before turning to Ben. "But my fighters heard you claim that you don't sleep much." He commented curiously, leaving Jimmy tensing again. Satisfied that he was out of Clayton's current field of vision, he turned to his friend with baited breath.

Ben had either avoided people he didn't want to talk to or he was the most open book anyone could ever imagine whenever Jimmy saw him. The young fighter didn't know if Ben had ever even known how to put up a charade, let alone whether or not he'd do it now. He was most likely to say something that would give them away or bring on suspicion by saying nothing at all. Hal and Lourdes had only reminded him to act casual if he saw anyone, he wasn't supposed to communicate with them at all.

However, all his fears were put to bed when Ben's lips curl into a pleasant grin. He looked a little dreamy, but nothing that would set off alarm bells.

"Very true. But I don't usually get tired either and I can sleep whenever I want. I usually just take a nap when I'm bored. Goodnight Mr Clayton."

"Night boys. See you tomorrow." Clayton replied, leaving Jimmy mentally sighing when he dropped it and walked off. His body deflated in his relief so much that Ben had to gently push him on his way up. He didn't stop when they reached the next landing either. Looking back, he felt his slight irritation fade instantly at the very serious look Ben was sporting. He must have heard too much activity in the area.

A lot apparently, for before they even made it halfway across the second floor, Ben shoved him through the door to the bathroom and locked the door behind them. Sparing Jimmy a single look, he held up a finger to his lips before pressing his ear to the door.

Staying perfectly still, Jimmy strained his own hearing, his curiosity desperate to know what was going on, and that's when he heard it. Two sets of heavy feet stomping along the hallway and past the door.

"Sentry change." Ben muttered with a sigh as the footsteps faded away. "The two guards relieved of duty will pass by in a few seconds."

"And the more people who see us, the more chances we have of getting caught." Jimmy finished, nodding his head at Ben's move before finally registering where they were. Biting his lip, he took a seat on the edge of the bathtub. "Though, we could have probably picked a better hiding spot."

"Why? What's wrong with this one?" Ben asked, his frequent, lost look gracing his face again as he tilted his head. Jimmy couldn't help but smile at it, but answered his question as genuine worry started crossing Ben's face. Jimmy guessed that he thought that he'd made a real mistake.

"Well, for a start, two guys locking themselves into a bathroom. That doesn't sound suggestive to you?" He added jokingly, though regretting it a little as what he said fully registered in his head. Ben's eyes went wide the instant the words left his mouth before he dropped his gaze embarrassedly to the ground, his cheeks and ears turning noticeably pink again. Man, this was turning into an awkward night. Feeling quite mortified himself, Jimmy turned his gaze to the taps as he hastily continued. "There's also the possibility that the someone will need to go. This _is_ a bathroom after all, one that actually still works and those guards have been doing their job for hours."

"Um, yeah...good point." The poor blond could barely get the words out and if anything, his face was only getting redder. It kind of surprised the young fighter to be honest. He didn't think Ben would be so affected by things like suggestions of lust. The Ben he'd been getting to know struck him as the kind of person who'd just shrug it off. He had a feeling that he was missing a puzzle piece to the young Mason before him.

_Then again, I haven't talked to him _that_ much yet._ He conceded with a shake of his head. There was no doubt plenty of things to learn about him. _And I really want to_. He added, snorting a little at the thought. He still wasn't sure why he was so determined, but he could figure that out later.

"So then...should we g..." Ben's voice came to a complete halt before he could finish, his face turning hard. Jimmy didn't need any explanation, he heard the stomping loud and clear a mere two seconds later.

"Too many to keep track." One man grumbled, his deep voice failing to hide anything from Jimmy. He was plenty aggravated. "I still have no idea how the spiked boy disappeared on me. And then he was suddenly back in the house."

"What do you expect? He's infected." His partner retorted, though he was doing a much better job of controlling his volume. A glaring Jimmy only heard it because by that point they were right by the door and the walls were paper thin. "Don't worry though, he'll be glad to go back. And in twenty four hours, we'll be free of the lot of..." The voice faded right out of his hearing, but it wasn't like there was any doubt to what he would have said. It left Jimmy in a mix of fury and disbelief. How dare they talk about Ben that way! He had half a mind to track them down and tear him a new one. Yes, he was neutral, but there wasn't anything wrong with Ben. They hadn't bothered to talk to him even once, how the hell would those two pieces of crap know anything?

"Wow, they are hopeless at secrecy." The calmness of Ben's voice almost shocked Jimmy right out of his rage. He knew the boy found it hurtful when people spoke of him with open malice and distrust, but right now he was just calm and cold. Just like the other night when he moved to save him from a Skitter, only this time, strangely enough, Jimmy wasn't afraid. Maybe he was used to it now, or it could have been the gentle Ben that appeared in the gaps in his focus throughout their little adventure, but he actually felt...safe with him. Strange, that look on his face should have made him terrified. "They should learn to shut up. Come on, let's go." He muttered, opening the door and walking calmly out. Jimmy just followed, staying silent all the way back to their room.

Something about Ben seemed different. Not bad, just different from his usual self. Again, analysing the way he moved and held himself, he thought about the missing pieces to this puzzle and how much he wanted to find them. But now, another thought had crossed his mind on that subject. The pieces he knew that Lourdes and the others could see. He had a feeling that there were incorrectly placed. Either that, or the gaps were bigger than they realised.

_I see one thing Lourdes and Hal haven't. Even if the altered half of his mind did start with a completely hive mind nature, it's not like that anymore. Actually, I don't think it ever was to begin with._


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

Not ten minutes after the others had left the room, Lourdes had already packed away everything the kids had pulled out, lined the bags up against the wall, had Matt prepare Hal and Jimmy's to carry whatever the younger teens brought back and taken to sitting on the bed with a book she'd borrowed from Ann about the symptoms and treatment of food and water related diseases in her lap. Not that she could manage to take a word in. No, she was too busy alternating between worrying about the others, the kids, and calming Matt, who had taken to turning his head constantly, looking hopefully at the door and worriedly out the window.

"Matt, take it easy." She sighed, giving up on the book completely and setting it on the bed. "There's nothing to worry about outside and the others will be back soon. Just relax."

"If that's true, then why are you worried?" He countered, surprising her. She hadn't realised that she'd been expressing anything. She been working on her poker face since day one of medical school with the full intention of hiding her worry and any other negative emotion she knew that patients would be terrified to see and since the invasion, she'd gotten really good at it. She guessed that she'd dropped too deep into her own world and let her guard down.

_Not like it's the first time._ She admitted, smiling wryly as Matt waited impatiently for an answer. "I'm not worried about Skitters or your brothers getting caught. I know they'll succeed now, it's later I'm worried about. I do have to lead everyone through the forest you know. What if I take a wrong turn and get us lost?" She pointed out lightly, hoping that it was enough to satisfy him. It was the truth after all. Just not the whole truth.

"You'll be fine. The trail's easy to follow." Matt replied, nodding confidently. "And Jimmy will help out. Ben and Hal too eventually."

"Very true." Grinning back as Matt finally sat and waited, seeming satisfied both in Lourdes being right and in helping her through her stress, she decided that she'd keep what she'd heard about Jimmy and directions to herself. She'd only heard it in passing before the regiments separated, but Jimmy apparently had the world's worse sense of direction. You'd only follow him if you intended to drop off the face of the Earth. Most likely, she'd have to keep an eye out specially for him when it came time to run.

Matt wasn't quiet for long though. Lourdes hadn't even gone back to her own thoughts before a small frown crossed his face and his hand started tapping away on the armrest of his chair. Having been around kids all the time since joining the resistance, particularly Matt, she knew that he was stewing over something and it would only take a moment to or two for him to ask his question, so she just sat there and waited until he looked up at her again.

"Lourdes, the way Ben acted with Hal and Mike. Did you expect it to happen?" Now that was a shock to her system. They were thinking over the same thing, something that she never would have thought Matt would ask about. She'd just assumed that he'd associate it with Ben being his old self again. She hoped he would to be honest, she didn't really want to worry him.

_Too late for that now._ She sighed, rubbing her temples. Not answering would only confirm whatever his fears were and lying could have repercussions later. She had to be honest.

"No. I wasn't expecting it." She admitted, getting a loud gasp from Matt. "It was completely out of character for him. I was expecting something like that to eventually happen later, when your dad had spent more time helping him recover himself."

"...It kind of scared me." There was a slight tremor in his voice as he struggled out the words. The poor kid didn't like that he was always scared and she knew he hated admitting it even more. "But not of Ben! I wasn't scared he'd hurt me or anything!" He added quickly, suddenly quite happy to show fear. Lourdes couldn't stop the grin growing on her face at that. She found it cute how he always felt the need to protect his big brother. "I was scared for him. That something might be wrong with him. That I might...lose him again." He finished, his voice becoming harder to hear with every word. Ok, that took the smile off her face.

"Losing him? What made you think that?" Rising to her feet, she walked right over to the distraught boy and kneeled down to his eye level, caring dark brown eyes connecting into lighter, more fearful ones.

"He's never looked like that." Was Matt's sad response, gnawing at his lower lip. He looked like he was close to tears. "And he's never acted like that. Yeah, he fought with me and Hal all the time, but he was never like that! The look on his face, the way he talked, he reminded me more of Rick than anything else. And he doesn't hate the Skitters! He's doing this because he hates these people. What if he..." Grabbing a handkerchief from her pocket, Lourdes gently wiped away the forming tears as he lost the ability to speak and started panting. The poor kid was confused and terrified. She couldn't bear to see him that way.

"He's not doing this out of hate Matt. He's doing it for love." She whispered soothingly, making sure he wouldn't break eye contact and continuing before he could interrupt. "He's scared for you and me, Hal, all of us. He wants us to be safe and happy. He chose what we want over what the Skitters want. You don't have to worry about that."

"But what brought it on?" He persisted, desperate for an answer. He wasn't going to stop until he got one. Breathing deeply, Lourdes rubbed her temples again and conceded to tell him. she could only hope that she was right.

"Jimmy didn't look very surprised." She started, only to stop for a moment as the door slowly opened. Fearful of who it could be and what they might have heard, she whipped her head up only to drop to the floor in relief as Hal's 'yes, I'm hiding hair gel somewhere in my bag' head popped through, the rest of him following and closing the door a second later. She only waited long enough for the door to seal before talking again. "That mean's Jimmy must have seen it before, when the Skitter attack them. Actually, he looked more surprise at himself, probably because he wasn't nervous. But that's beside the point. See, if I were to guess what it was, I'd say we saw Ben's fight instinct. Something, probably the need to protect, triggers it."

"And turns him into a self directed human again." Hal added, not bothering to ask questions as he sat on the bed. "He sure didn't ask me if he could spy on the barn, talk with Pope and plan a getaway and I know you wouldn't have let him do that on his own. He was acting entirely on his own, just like when he went after the Skitter at the school. I'm not sure if I'm thrilled for him or terrified for his safety."

"Thrilled for him." Lourdes stated firmly, leaving Hal flinching as she turned a seething look his way, darting her eyes noticeably towards his once again worried little brother. She did not expose so much of her theory to him to have Hal make him terrified with the possible consequences of this newly discovered side of the middle Mason. "If we could figure out how to merge the two sides of Ben we've seen, we'd have a perfectly normal teenager. This may mean that we'll achieve our goal much sooner than expected."

"Yeah, you're right." He nodded, smiling nervously. He hadn't seen an angry Lourdes often, but he knew that once you found the end to her amazing tolerance, it could be scary. Fortunately, Matt seemed to be satisfied with the answer though. His brow and breathing had relaxed and he was leaning back in his chair. He could very well fall asleep soon.

Not wanting to know how Hal's job went, Lourdes was quite happy to let the room fall back into silence after that and revise everything she'd said about Ben, documenting everything she'd seen into her memory for when she saw Tom again. She had no doubt that he'd be interested in what she had to say. Or, as Hal had put it, thrilled and terrified. Especially the implications. If nothing else, it proved one thing that would hurt Tom; Ben was destined to fight. Even if they completely removed his master/servant mindset, the urge to protect was too overwhelming in him. He would have a place in this war no matter what. They could only influence what role that might be, not prevent it. And judging from the dark, pained expression on Hal's face as his met hers, he'd noticed the same thing.

...

Mike had returned not long after, but after ensuring that both his and Hal's jobs were done well enough, he hadn't done much more than stare out the window, brooding to himself. The teens didn't make anything of it though. One glance at him spoke volumes of the deep feelings of betrayal, anger and sadness he was feeling. Both could tell that even after all that Ben had said, at least some part of him had hoped that his friend was still on their side.

Destroyed hope was not a feeling Lourdes would wish on anyone. Especially in a world where hope is the only thing you've really got.

Hal had other things on his mind anyway. He kept pacing, muttering to himself, only stopping now and then to glare at the door. Ben and Jimmy were taking longer than he'd expected and it was driving him crazy. Lourdes was just happy that Matt had dozed off. His...compassionate eldest brother would have set his fears off all over again.

"Maybe I should go look for them." He muttered, taking a step towards the door only for Mike to grab his arm, eliciting a growl from the overprotective teenager. "Mike!"

"You've got to learn to trust them the same way your dad trusts you." Mike stated, not giving an inch. "They'd have to move slow on the way back. The slightest movement with pockets full of loose metal could get them caught, they know it. And if they were discovered, we'd know about it. Did you see what Ben did to the wrist of the last guy who got aggressive with him?"

"And he wasn't even trying to hurt him." Lourdes agreed, placing her own hand comfortingly on the tense boy's shoulder. "It was pretty impressive damage too, brought on lots of screaming." She added encouragingly, though she flinched at the memory. "If Ben and Jimmy got caught, we'd be hearing a lot of that right now."

"You going down there will only draw more attention to them." Mike continued. "Be patient. Trust them to do their job. They can handle it."

"You bet we can." The trio jumped as the door swung open and looked around to find a very proud looking Jimmy walking into the room, followed quickly by a closed eyed Ben, closing the door behind them. "You worry too much Hal. Have a little faith. Oh, and keep your voice down next time. Even I could hear you just fine in that hallway."

"What took so long!" Hal demanded, though he took some of the advice and kept his voice low as he stalked over to the duo. "You guys had me worried sick!"

"Clayton caught us for a minute, don't worry, he just thinks we're going to bed." Ben added quickly, seeing all three of the older occupants growing nervous. "Then we had to hide in the bathroom when there was a sentry duty changeover. Nothing special."

"Remind me to reassert your definition of nothing special later." Hal sighed haggardly, though he did let the subject drop. "So how much did you get?"

"All of it." Jimmy grinned as they started emptying their pockets onto the bed. Gathering around, the others found them dumping four filled mags, three sealed bags and lots of free bullets of all different kinds, intended for at least five different types of guns. "They didn't have much. Just all this, a few extra pistols and a pile of knives. We raided two of each too." He added, he and Ben holding up their new toys. "Figured they'd come in handy."

"Speaking of which..." Ben started hesitantly, staring shyly back and forth from Jimmy to the floor, letting his eye linger on the gun in his hand along the way. "You said that you'd..."

"Oh, right." Jimmy nodded, leaving the others confused as he picked at the haul. It only took a few seconds before he had ten small bullets in his hand.

"What's going on?" Lourdes asked as she watched them move to the emptier side of the room, frowning at the gun. She didn't like that Ben was fiddling with it and she had a pretty good idea what Jimmy was about to do. Hal wasn't going to be thrilled about it either. It only encouraged her theory of the warrior future Ben was going to be drawn into.

"With everything going on tonight, it would be a lot safer for Ben if he knew how to use a gun." Jimmy replied, already demonstrating how to load the bullets and getting a sigh and a dark look from Lourdes and Hal respectively. "Hopefully he won't need it at all tonight, but he'll need one eventually anyway. It's only a matter of time before we're all stuck in the next dangerous situation."

"Hate to say it, but I agree." Mike shook his head before staring sadly at the room's sole blond. "Though many in the second are going to freak out even more if they find you carrying weapons. It'll probably make things more difficult for you."

"I'll accept that." Ben nodded, not taking his eyes off Jimmy's fingers as he showed Ben how to cock the gun and turn the safety on and off. "If it keeps everyone safe, then I can pay that price. The Skitters won't be happy with me if they see me with it either." He added, trying to sound nonchalant. However, Lourdes easily picked up the hint of shame in his voice. "But then again, they'd be unhappy with everything I'm doing now, so I don't know why I'd care."

No one had any response to that, verbally anyway. But that didn't mean the effect of his words wasn't apparent. The tension grew so thick that you could cut it with a knife. Lourdes looked at each conscious face in the room with a guarded expression. She was used to those lines and had long accepted that, at least for now, he was compassionate towards both sides, but none of the others had the experience or acceptance of it that she possessed. Mike had shook a little bit, his look turning pained, not that it was surprising. If even Ben still had that in him, then his hopes for Rick took a hit again. Hal looked a little panicked, clenching his teeth. He really didn't like what he heard. Jimmy admittedly looked a little nervous and squeamish, but his reaction was the best of the three. Despite how uncomfortable he was, he still patted Ben on the back.

"Being caught between sides can be difficult." Lourdes murmured, moving to wrap an arm around his body. "No matter what you do, you will be helping one side and hurting the other. Just know that every time you disappoint them, you make us proud."

Ben didn't reply, but he did let a grateful grin cross his face and relaxed into her for a moment before turning his attention back to his gun, making sure the safety was on before slipping it into his jacket pocket. Seeing how his words had effected those around him again, he went back to the pile of bullets without a word and started putting them into the bags set up for them.

Lourdes gave each of the other members a look to say get over it before heading to the door. If the kids were going to get any sleep tonight, they had to come up now. She did however, stop beside Hal to whisper in his ear.

"You need to stop the dramatic reactions to lines like that. They're only going to make things harder on him. You're his big brother, by his mindset and by blood, that means your opinion of him and your reactions will have a much bigger effect on him than you realise." With that, she poked her head out the door, ensuring that it was clear and took off. Hopefully everything would be packed up before she got back.

...

"He wasn't always like this you know." Mike muttered, drawing Hal and Ben's attention. He was still standing by the window, but his eyes had long left it, opting instead to stare at his son's head. Looking up at him, Ben saw just as much love and affection on Mike's face as he saw on his own father's when Tom looked at him. Only it was mixed with a look of heartbreak. "As sick as he was, I never heard him complain. Heh, he always knew how to make me laugh." He chuckled, getting lost in past memories. "He was always so optimistic, was so happy for every experience in life that he got to experience and never asked for anything more. It kills me to see him so miserable all the time." He sighed, quickly growing sad as brushed a few strands from Rick's face. "I'm thankful for you you know?" He added, smiling shakily at Ben. "You make him happy and if anyone gets through to him, I know it'll be you. Thank you."

"You're welcome." Ben muttered, not quite sure what was going on. He felt quite happy that he'd managed to please Mike, it made him feel good, but at the same time, something about the situation didn't seem right. It felt a little foreboding, like something wrong. He didn't like it one bit.

"It's almost midnight." Hal stated, looking casually at his watch. Or at least he tried to. Ben could tell he felt the same thing Ben did. Their eye's met for an instant and they both saw the same worry flickering through them; Mike wasn't expecting to make it through this.

"Let's get this started then." Mike nodded, gently shaking Rick's shoulder. "Come on everyone, wake up, we gotta move."

Hal gently tapped Lourdes' side with his foot, waking her instantly as he moved to Matt while Ben moved to alert Jimmy and the kids near him. It only took a few moments before everyone was awake, most of the kids looking confused while the rest had already turned scared.

"Ben, you're up." Mike whispered, moving swiftly to the blond Razorback's side as Lourdes and Hal organised the kids, gathering their belongings. "We'll give you a two minute head start. After that, we're moving fast, so we need them gone."

"Not a problem." He nodded, handing his own backpack to Jimmy as the kid reached the front of the room before double checking that his weapons were in place.

"You're attacking humans?" Rick asked, startling both his father and Ben, the former by the fact that he'd spoken at all and the latter because of just how incredulous he sounded. Not that Ben needed to hear it, he could feel the emotion rolling off Rick in waves. "Why? You don't want to hurt humans. I can still feel that in you even now."

"Because these humans are risking the safety of everyone who's apart of the second Mass. Especially my siblings." Was Ben's response, before a mischievous grin crossed his face. "I'm going to quietly knock out the guards. Wanna help me?"

He didn't need the smirk that crossed Rick's face to know the answer. Rick could feel how threatened and angry these people made Ben feel and when that combined with his dislike of humans, he probably would have followed without an invitation, much to Mike's obvious chagrin.

"I suppose it could be fun." Rick exclaimed, heading straight to the door. Ben only waited long enough to send Mike an apologetic look and obtain a sad, but accepting one in return. it would have been hypocritical of him to deny Rick the chance to go and his son's help enhanced their chances of victory and Ben's safety, he couldn't say no.

Ben decided he would have to repay him and make Rick open up sooner though. He hated that such a nice person like Mike was always so sad. But he'd worry about that later. Right now, he had a job to do.

...

Moving stealthily with Rick proved far quicker and more effective than with Jimmy. With both of them wielding enhanced hearing and the ability to mentally warn the other of sound, they were likely to have remained fast and undiscovered even if the house was still lively.

Reaching the door to the balcony, Ben sent an urge to halt through their connection. A flare of irritation quickly surged back, but Ben paid it no mind as he focused his ears, making sure they were still good. One person was moving downstairs and the door to the room they'd been staying in had just creeped open again. Ok, that meant they were right on time. Hopefully the person below was one of them checking the coast was clear. Otherwise they'd have to take the person out pretty quick for the plan to work.

_Can we go now?_ Ben almost snorted at the sheer impatience that came with those words. Watching him physically resisting the urge to hop from one foot as he gave Ben a demanding look and feeling, it took all the seriousness Ben had just to stop him from laughing. He'd never felt Rick nearly so excited before and definitely never seen it. It was something that he resolved to bring out of him again, preferably in front of Mike.

However, now wasn't the time to think about that. It only took him a second to push down all his thoughts and feelings. He had a job to do and he was going to do it right. Everything not related to his job could wait until it was done.

_Let's go._ He nodded as his face turned cold. Grinning darkly, Rick grabbed the knob, opened the door and slowly walked out onto the balcony, instantly drawing the attention of the guards.

"What are you doing out here?" The nearer one growled, marching right into Rick's face and staring down imposingly. "You're supposed to be in bed kid."

"I don't take orders from humans." The soldier had precisely one second to hiss in fear at the air of ruthlessness pouring off Rick's entire being before the dark Razorback's hand whipped out and clamped around his throat with a grip strong as steel.

"AUGK!"

"Hey, what do you-AH!" The other guard came rushing over the instant his partner found himself being strangled, a move that proved fatal. He hadn't gotten three steps before Ben ran through the door. Before the guard could react, Ben had already leapt over Rick and his victim, landed silently on the banister and delivered a sharp kick to the second guy's head, instantly knocking him out before grabbing the guy's arm. Letting him fall at that speed would have alerted someone inside for sure. Besides, in doing so, he'd just broke the guy's arm, could feel the bones separating. Even if he woke up, he wasn't going to be good to anyone for a while.

The feeling of triumph rolling off Rick almost made Ben think there was a Skitter nearby. Especially since one of the nearby hearts had stopped beating. Turning back to the other fight, he wasn't sure how he felt as he watched Rick drop the strangled man to the floor, only taking just enough care so as to prevent the thump of alerting everyone inside.

_Why let him live?_ Rick didn't really seem to care either way, he was just happy to be taking down what he saw as the enemy. _Why not just kill him? It would have been quicker, easier._

_Figured the Skitters would like to do that themselves._ Ben shrugged, physically and mentally as he watched the kids fleeing from the just opened front door. _These people are scum, playing both sides to survive, selling out their own kind._

_They're working with the Skitters? And you got me to help STOP them?_ Rick cried indignantly, whipping his head to his brother with an intense glare.

_They would have turned on the Skitters just as quickly as they did their own kind. And besides..._ Not backing down, Ben returned Rick's burning look with a frosty one. _We both feel the same way about these kinds of people. Those who are willing to hurt their own for their own benefit cannot be allowed to get away with it. Such an act is proof that they cannot be trusted and are a threat to us all._

Time was lost as they stared each other down, oblivious to all around them. It was a literal clash of wills, each determined make the other see their side and neither backing down. Ben had felt it happen before, among the Skitter brethren. They were intense, you could feel the waves of the participants' minds pounding into your skull like the ocean hitting a rock wall. The force was incredible and usually, everyone in range got drawn in, subconsciously joining a side until one finally overtook the other. It could take days.

Grunting at the pressure he felt in his head, Ben became grimly aware that if they kept this up, this one could go on for just as long. Ben's will and mind seemed more developed and complex, but Rick's had a single minded drive to it and it turned out that their stubbornness was equal. He couldn't let that happen! They'd be caught and used against Hal and the others. Shouts and running feet from inside and the front door were already flooding his ears. He had to get Rick to back down or he'd have to leave him behind and he would _never_ do that!

"They'll kill your dad!" He stated sharply, hitting the one hidden nerve that he could. "These men will kill him and who knows how many other kids to get what they want from us. Do you really want that Rick? Do you really want to see innocent kids and the man who raised and loved you all your life _die_!"

_They're human..._ Hope started to bubble in Ben's chest as Rick hesitated. His thoughts were strained, forced and unsure. As if he didn't know if he was ok with it. Or, more accurately, a part of him knew everything he was trying to say was a lie. _I don't...why would I..._

_You care Rick. You've never stopped caring._ Ben snapped firmly as the assaulting pressure pulled back from his mental defences. _He's your father. Your first master. You love him, I've felt it the whole time. And even the Skitters care about children. They don't want them hurt. Help them get away from here Rick._

Gun shots and shouted arguments and commands were already going off like wildfire in the background, but neither boy paid it any mind. Ben merely held an image of a gruesome death, of Mike's, in his head for Rick to see whenever he prodded and waited as Ricked mulled it all over and scowled at the flickers of pain Ben's statement and the image brought him. It took almost another full minute before he finally came to a decision.

"You are not entirely right to do this. This is still traitorous to the Skitters, the very crime you are accusing these men of making to the humans." He started lowly. However, Ben was still allowing a grin to split his face. He'd felt it the moment Rick conceded. "But now that this has started, we might as well finish it."

_Still refuse to admit how you feel about this huh?_

_Don't push it!_ Ben snorted as Rick snapped back. Of course he wasn't going to admit that he cared about even a single human, let alone the race. He couldn't stand the fact that he still did.

All sense of victory was gone a second later however as another gunshot went off. Accompanied by a blood curdling, _familiar _scream.

_Father!_ Ben barely had time to register the word and the sudden bout of fear that came with it before Rick had jumped right over the banister, landing upright effortlessly and charging right for his dad. Through a group of three enemy fighters.

"Oh crap!" He cried, focusing his eyes back and forth from Mike to his son as he crouched down and grabbed the rifle of his victim. Mike had a serious injury in the side of his chest and had dropped his gun. He'd be useless and Rick was an open target, both to the fighters he was running at and the nuts convict he could hear swearing away up in a tree fifty feet away. Slipping the rifle over his back, he pulled out his pistol and jumped down after Rick. Hal was heading, albeit slowly, to a screaming Mike. That left him with saving Mike's son.

* * *

**AN: **This chapter was partially inspired by the fact that there isn't a single story on ff or anywhere else I've seen that focuses on Rick. Where's the justice in that? I implore all writers in this category to write a story focusing on the first Razorback. I would, but I've got enough stories to write as is, so I'm settling for making him a major character in this one.

Speaking of which, what do you think of Rick's reactions to Ben's actions and accusations here?


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

It was amazing the damage one annoying girl could do to a plan. Everything had been going perfectly so far, the kids were even keeping pretty calm and quiet, despite knowing that something was horribly wrong. However, it only took Tessa walking out of the kitchen to turn a quick, quiet evacuation into a disaster.

"Hal?" She cried as he reached the bottom and guided the kids towards the door. "What are you doing?"

Still guiding the younger kids out, Jimmy barely looked back enough to catch the dark look Lourdes and Hal were both throwing the girl. One from another girl making moves on a guy she liked from the beginning and one from betrayal. However, the young fighter decided he could be petty about her later. He was too busy restraining panic and quietly hurrying the kids who'd frozen in place.

"Clayton made a deal with the Skitters. And you knew about it didn't you?" Hal demanded, taking a threatening step towards her while Lourdes came back to her senses and pushed the last, lingering kids out of the room.

"I w-was going to talk to them about you. Fix it so you could stay." She replied nervously, staring hopefully right into Hal's eyes. For a moment, there was a shy, hopeful nervousness to her. Like she was innocent and a bit vulnerable. Staring back at her, Jimmy couldn't help but remember Ben's face. The looks Ben gave him were really similar and the implications made him kind of excited, but unsure at the same time.

However, it was all gone as quickly as it appeared and turning back to Hal, he saw that her look made no change to his livid face whatsoever.

"Hal, keep going." Mike ordered, gently nudging him back as Jimmy followed the last of the kids to the door. Hal's glared grew darker, but he conceded, backing up and starting to follow.

"They'll never let you leave!" Tessa shouted, her expression immediately changing to desperate and panicked as they ignored her. Seeing that her words had no effect at all, her panic only grew and she whipped her head to up the stairs. "DAD! DAD WAKE UP, THEY'RE LEAVING!"

"Shut up you selfish-"

"Hal, there's no time, go!" Mike snapped, grabbing hold of the furious boy struggling to grab and shut the girl up. However, a great deal of thumping was already coming from upstairs and Hal had to concede to Mike's point and ran.

_This is just great!_ The thought was playing over and over again in Jimmy's head as he ran, grabbing one of the smaller kids at the back of the group by the arm and trying desperately to pull him to safety.

"Move it. I want them all the back!"

"Why haven't the guards reported in? Why aren't they stopping them?"

"Shoot Mike and the older ones. The rest will come right back!"

_Crap!_ "Grab the younger ones and move it!" Jimmy shouted, adrenaline kicking in overtime. They weren't even halfway to the trees yet as the door burst open again to reveal six soldiers, all of them armed and taking aim. And to top it off, he had yet to see any sign of Ben and Rick. They were supposed to have joined up with them by now, where were they?

Seeing the problem just as clearly, Hal and Mike whipped around and opened fire, a move that successfully bought them enough time to get the front half of their group into the forest as the enemy ducked behind cars and a tree. It didn't stop them for long though, within a few seconds they were up and around their cover, deafening everyone around with echoing bangs. The bullets barely missed the duo as they dived to the ground and army rolled in opposite directions, leaving the ammo burying itself or ricocheting off the trees that had been right behind them.

BANG! "ARGH!" Jimmy's breathing hitched as the scream met his ears. At the same time, the boy he'd been dragging collapsed to the ground, letting the young fighter know exactly who got hit. Turning around, he found the boy hitting the ground, crying loudly as his free hand moved to cover his bleeding leg.

Red filled his vision as he looked up, searching for the one responsible. How dare they attack a kid! Who the hell did these good for nothing pieces of scum think they were?

It only took him a second to find the guy responsible. The redhead was the only one not trying to load Mike and Hal with lead and was already taking aim for another kid just about to enter the trees. He was ignoring Jimmy, probably because all he saw was a defenceless kid who'd stop to help another. Big mistake. All he had to do was pull out his gun and...

BANG! BANG! BANG!

"BWAH!" Before he even had a chance to touch the handle, three bullets had already struck home, two in his chest and one in his shoulder, and had him dropping to the ground, dead. And judging from the direction he fell, it only took Jimmy a second to figure out it wasn't Hal and Mike who'd done that job.

"GET THAT KID OUT OF HERE BOY!" Pope's yell echoed throughout the entire area, quickly drawing the attention of the Sanctuary fighters. Another five rounds from the convict had them all moving at once, four men trying desperately to shield themselves from attackers in two directions, an act only made harder when they weren't entirely sure where Pope was. "HOW'S THAT SKITTER DEAL WORKIN FOR YA NOW CLAYTON?" He called snidely, the smirk on his face obvious to all who heard him.

With his would-be victim already taken care of, Jimmy was quick to do as Pope said and scooped the kid into his arms, thankful for the lapse in fire as he continued to run and finally getting safely into the trees and following the trail of kids right to Lourdes.

"I've got one with a bullet wound." He gasped as he came up beside her, puffing heavily. The adrenaline was wearing off now that he couldn't see the farm behind them and with a kid in his arms, he was quickly tiring.

"Place a clean cloth and apply pressure." Lourdes said quickly, digging a handkerchief out of her pocket and placing it in the kid's hand. It wasn't like Jimmy had any to spare. "You have to slow the blood flow. I'll look at the wound as soon as we can stop."

Shakily, the boy placed the scrunched up fabric to the wound and sobbed louder at the pain. However, though he winced at the sound, Jimmy didn't pay any of that much attention at all, opting to watch the thirty odd kids running all around them, making sure they didn't separate from the group. He took special care to watch Matt particularly carefully, considering he was lingering at the back and kept turning back for a sign of his brothers. The brunette had a feeling he might turn and run back at any time. Actually, he was sure of it. After all, he wanted to go back too, for the same reason.

Ben and Rick still hadn't caught up. That could only mean that something went wrong. The two had a quick job and were by far the fastest runners in the entire Second Mass. They should have joined them long ago.

_The guards didn't make a sound. Maybe they did their job and ran ahead. Maybe they got a little delayed and had to run around the barn or something, it's possible. There's no reason to assume they got caught in the gun fight._ He kept telling himself that over and over again, adding a new, unharmed delay possibility every time he could think of one, but the longer the blond boy was absent, the less his reasoning comforted him.

"Please be ok." He muttered under his breath as he repeated his list of possibilities again only to falter halfway through. He couldn't deny it anymore. Ben had either gotten forced into the fight or had been killed. And both possibilities terrified him. The idea that he'd been taken from them after only just getting him back, that he'd never get to learn more about that shy, gentle, innocent mind of his, possibly the only truly innocent mind left above the age of two...his heart hurt at just the thought of it. He needed Ben.

"Please be ok." He muttered again, this time more desperate, as he slowed down and looked back the way he came. The sounds of gun fire and the screams had only grown fainter, leaving him confident that no one was following them right now, so it was relatively safe to slow down. A good thing for everyone, considering the kids were already running out of steam. But there was still no sign of any of the others either and it only had Jimmy's breathing increase and the pain in his chest growing, a sentiment he seemed to share with Matt and Lourdes. He'd be confused and a little freaked out just how much Ben's absence was hurting him later, but at that moment, he couldn't care less. All he cared about was seeing Ben's face coming out of the bushes, preferably with one of his shy or bright smiles on his face. And when he did finally show up...well, Jimmy was never letting him out of his sight again. At least until they got back to the safety of the school.

Then maybe he'd tie a loud bell to the boy's neck. Just so he could always find him.

...

"What are they still doing up there?" Hal grunted through clenched teeth as he ducked behind another tree and fired blindly at the enemy. He'd had to move a number of times, the altering movements of their four opponents always leaving him vulnerable, and while he'd been reassessing the situation after what had to have been his fifth roll across the ground, he'd found both Ben and Rick still on the balcony, stiff as statues. And as much as he loathed to admit it, there was nothing he could do about it. If he did anything, he'd draw attention to them and have them targeted not only by the Sanctuary fighters, but also possibly Pope. The psychotic convict was no more likely to leave them alone than he was to kneel and declare his undying love to a Skitter.

Not far from him, Mike shot up from behind a car and fired five shots before ducking back down, narrowly avoiding losing his head. He'd seen the boys too. It was the only reason why they hadn't backed into the forest where they could use the terrain to their advantage.

They'd both tried getting the boys' attention, but they were firmly locked on each other and anything longer than a split second risked a bullet between the eyes. And to make it worse, Hal was on his last mag. If this went on much longer...

_When this is over, Ben gets a mouth full._ Taking a deep breath, he listened in as Pope's shots had them scattering again and threw himself up to shoot again, only to freeze as another bang went off to his side.

"AAARRRRGGGGHHHHH!" Mike's scream made his blood run cold. Ignoring the four jumping around the cars and junk in front of him, he whipped around to Mike to find him laying on his side, blood pouring over a hand pressed to his chest. And just beyond him, hidden in the bushes, was Clayton, already adjusting his gun to finish the job.

"NO!" Without the time needed to aim, Hal merely made sure that he wouldn't hit Mike himself before letting loose a stream of bullets.

"Shit." Hal barely heard it as Clayton jerked back into the trees, but he did make sure to here the telltale sounds of a retreat through the shrubbery. Sparing a glance back at the other four to find them all firing randomly after Pope, he crept his way over to Mike as quickly and quietly as he could. However, Clayton's unknown location meant that he could only move so fast, needing to keep his head down and his gun ready, so it took far too long for his taste.

"What the-LOOK OUT!" Tensing at the scream, sure they'd spotted him, Hal immediately rolled behind a pile of junk, the only cover left to him. However... "ARGH!"

"Take him-ARGH!"

"There's the other one!" A series of loud bangs and thumps rang through his head the whole time they were shouting and it was with great confusion that he realised that none of it was due to him or Mike. However, it only took a second for the shouts and cries to fill him with dread. Pope was on his own and judging from the constant stream of vile language suddenly echoing throughout the area, he'd taken a bullet wound. 'There's the other one.' That could only mean one thing.

And sure enough, as he raised his head over the junk, he found Rick making a beeline for Mike at a speed even a gold medallist would be insanely jealous of. Not far behind him, two of the enemy fighters were groaning on the ground, out wide in the open and far from where they'd been gathered, while a third, who'd been aiming for Rick's head, screamed worse than Mike had as Ben ripped his hand away from the trigger and clenched it so tight that he crushed multiple bones, aiming his shotgun over his shoulder an firing blindly at the last guy as he did.

"Ben!" It took all he had not to jump to his feet and run right into the middle of it all as the final fighter ducked and rolled before returning fire. He felt a strange mix of fear, relief and horror as Ben threw his first opponent at the guy and ducked in response, stopping the bullets, but completely uncaring as they buried themselves in his first opponent's shoulder, dangerously close to his neck. Taking advantage of the reprieve as the airborne guy crashed into the gunslinger, the blond jumped back to his feet and followed Rick right to Mike. Hal doing the same.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

"ARGH!" Unfortunately before they could get behind cover, three shots went off from within the trees. Two were definitely Pope's, both of them killing the fallen two fighters. Something that was unnecessary and despicable to Hal, considering that they'd been neutralised already and were defenceless. However, the third one struck Rick right in the shoulder and had him plummeting to the ground.

"Rick!" The look on Ben's face reeked of pain as well as fear as he ducked his head right before another shot was taken and narrowly escaped with his life. Reaching the boy, he effortlessly scooped him up into his arms as he ran by and jumped right over the truck, another two bullets ricocheting against the metal and leaving thick dents. With the last two by the house still down, it only left Pope and Clayton firing and he wouldn't put it past either of them to try and take out Ben and Rick.

"Take it easy." Ben muttered as Hal finally reached them, the blond barely paying him any attention as he ripped some of the fabric from his open button up and pressed it to Rick's wound. The look on his face set Hal off into a panic and had him searching for any holes or blood on his clothing too.

"Ben, are you hurt?" He grunted, moving quickly to check physically only for Ben to gently bat him away. From up close, he finally let himself calm a little bit. Physically, Ben was fine. But still...he looked like he was a great deal of pain. There were even tears pooling in his eyes. "What's..."

"Rick's hurt. I feel it." Was his only response, immediately making Hal pale. A connection thing. There was nothing he could do about that. He never even considered this possibility, though considering Ben passed out when the last Skitter he connected to died, he really should have. But then, that was only because...

"Ben, pull your mind back." He said desperately, slowly shaking Ben's shoulder. "Separate your mind from his. You'll stop hurting."

"I can't. He needs me." Ben shook his head before nodding to Rick, his breathing hitching. "The emotional pain too much for him to handle alone. It's so much worse."

It wasn't until then that he remembered why they'd all gathered there in the first place. In all his worry about Ben, he'd completely forgotten about Mike. Cursing his stupidity, he turned back to the senior fighter and felt his heart clench at the sight. It didn't take a doctor to know that he'd lost too much blood. It was pooling all around his torso. And his breathing was far too strained. Considering where his hand was, Hal guessed that the bullet had at least grazed the side of his lung, probably punctured it. Mike was dying.

"F-father?" Rick choked out fearfully, his breathing heavily laboured and his voice thick with grief. Watching him, Hal was amazed as his scared eyes filled and released rivers of tears and even he could tell that they had nothing to do with his wound. Even now, though he didn't know what to expect, the wasn't even on his list of Rick's possible reactions. At Best Hal thought he'd go into shock and stay quiet. Rick really was still more human than he thought. "Please...please get up. We have to go get you h-h-help."

Forcing his eyes open, an action that seemed to require no small amount of effort, Mike stared up at his son and surprised everyone as he smiled.

"I...I didn't think I'd e...ever here you call m-me that again." He mumbled and sobbed, visibly struggling for every word. "You...have no idea h-how h-happy you've m...made me."

"Quiet. Don't talk. Just breathe." Rick sobbed, reaching a shaky hand for his father's free one. "Don't go. Please." His desperation grew with every word.

"I'm s-sorry R-R-Ricky." Mike smiled sadly, squeezing his hand before forcing it up to his son's head and gently brining Rick's forehead down to his, readjusting his arm around Rick's neck. "I...I love y-you Ricky. Never for...get that."

Rick stunned them all as he wrapped his arms around his father's neck and sobbed. It was a heart wrenching sight see. Something that made the happy, albeit small and pained smile on Mike's face look completely out of place.

"W-watch out for him. Please." He forced out, turning struggling eyes to look at the Mason boys, though they lingered a lot longer on Ben. "Please...be there for him..." With that, his eyes slowly close and the last sigh left his lips, his body going limp. He was gone.

"I promise." Ben said quietly, holding back a sob. Rick on the other hand let it all out and screamed wordlessly, pressing his head to his father's again as he cried.

"Rick, we gotta go!" Hal said firmly, placing a hand on the sobbing boy's shoulder only for it to be completely ignored. Frustrated and definitely not having time for this, Hal turned a demanding look to his brother. Pope had either taken off or was out of ammo, he had stopped firing a while ago, and Clayton was still who knew where! Add that to the two guys stumbling out of their hiding place, one of which was still perfectly capable of fighting the last time Hal checked, they really needed to get out of there now!

Seeming to read his mind, Ben shot up and fired seemingly randomly into a clump of bushes, eliciting a panicked scream from the leader of the Seventh as he scrambled away, the gunshots scaring the other two into ducking down again. Then, not wasting a second the last of his bullets had bought them, he scooped up the crying Razorback again and took off into the forest as fast as he could.

Seeing his brother safe in the trees, Hal followed right after, only stopping the fire what was left of his own ammo to blanket the area again. It didn't take long to catch up to Ben, though he wasn't sure if that was because he was carrying Rick or waiting for him. Either way he pushed it, urging Ben to hurry. They had already lost Mike, Pope wouldn't be of anymore help and Clayton still had what looked like Tessa's father and who knew how many of the other adults at Sanctuary he could convince to come after a bunch of kids. Plus, Clayton knew exactly where they were heading and probably knew the forest terrain pretty damn well, not to mention that Skitters could be hanging around anywhere. The gunfire would of alerted however many that might have been watching Clayton's group that things had gone wrong. They were nowhere near out of the woods yet, figuratively or literally.

They had to get back to the school quickly. Hal refused to let them take anyone else. Losing Mike was too much as it was.

* * *

**AN:** To be honest, I don't really like this chapter too much. No matter what I did, it wouldn't come out the way I originally intended or get everything out right and it just came out less than perfect. This was the best I could do with it. I hadn't really planned for such a human Rick revealing himself yet either, but that's how the story evolves on its own accord.

All well, hopefully I'll like the next one better. Oh yeah, thanks for the reviews to those who, you know, took the time to right some. You made my day


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